The three panels here depict the technical innovations in agriculture, and the effects these had on the division of labor between the sexes. In the first panel, the male hunter dominates the scene, to suggest the importance of hunting to the survival of the group. The female labors in the upper left corner, gathering roots. This small image and its faded appearance suggest a "background" role for this economic activity. Note also the squiggly lines in the first panel; Petheo would often depict the "untamed wild" in this fashion, to contrast it with the clear gridded lines of an agricultural society. (Compare to the depiction of "wild nature" in the image "Chinese World Views.")

In the second panel, with the development of hoe agriculture, women's place in society eclipses that of the male hunter, who is now figuratively driven to the margins of society (or the faded margins of the image).

In the third panel, the traction plow has replaced the hoe as the chief technology of agriculture. Note that it is the male who operates this technology; because the traction plow required a beast of burden, and because men had traditionally been the keeper of animals, they assume the responsibility for plow-based agriculture. Societies based on plow agriculture became male-dominated; women's roles are confined to domestic pursuits, as represented by the shaded figure in the upper left who spins at a distaff.