Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, VoL 5, No. L 1998 Gender-Informed Archaeology: The Priority of Definition, the Use of Analog and the Multivariate Approach Eriea HilP Despite recent efforts to construct gender theory in archaeology, I assert that no methodological or theoretical breakthroughs have occurrecL This lack of progress is due to several factors. First, fundamental terms such as "theory, '" "gender," and "sex" have been used inconsistently; I suggest some working definitions for these terms. Second, researchers have resorted to the use of analogical arguments that implicitly deny the role of gender in the organization of human relations. Third, feminist political agendas have been conflated with research questions. In order to address some of these issues, I suggest that the application of a multivariate approach to the study of gender can avoid the problems inherent in any one line of evidence. Finally, ! argue that a consideration of the scale of gender questions is essential to the application of existing theoretical frameworks to gender archaeologically. KEY WORDS: analogy in archaeology; gender relations; Bernardino de Sahagdn; archaeologi- cal method and theory; multivariate approach. INTRODUCTION The gender question in archaeology--essentially how to address the presence of women and men in the past and the multiple ways in which their relations were structured--has received increasing attention during the past two decades. However, the study of gender archaeologically has been plagued by numerous problems. The lack of progress in the archae- ological study of gender is due to (1) the inconsistent use of fundamental terms, (2) a fundamental flaw in how gender has been situated within existing theo- 1Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico,Albuquerque, New Mexico87131. 99 1072.-5369/98/0300-0099515.00/0 O 1998 Plenum Publishing Corporation