From as far back as 430 B.C, women have always carried handbags. The reasons for this, though, are both complex and surprising. In fact, it is both genetically and culturally determined that a woman should, if not must, bear a handbag. Here, although I don't have the space to go in depth, I will try to reveal at least a few of the reasons behind it.

Not merely a way of carrying things, handbags and purses in generally have always played a significant part in society. From the with-doctors medicine bag, to the society ladies handbag, there are a lot of links that tie together all the different uses to which bags and purses have been put.

The first part of the reason, is simple and obvious, namely that you need a bag to carry things. Of course, everyone needs to carry things on occasion, but you don't see men carrying a purse. Or at least, not often. The reason for this is that women have, evolutionarily speaking, been the caregivers of the family and were responsible for making sure that everyone had what they needed.

Beyond this, women were also responsible for raising children, and this it was necessary to have at hand anything a growing child might need. As well as this, there is another traditional role for women- the organizers. I'm sure you've noticed that most big events, even nowadays, tend to have a significant number of women in key organizational roles. This isn't a coincidence, and it's this same organizational mindset that inclines them to keep a purse.

The second part, is the role of mystery and power. The inside of a bag, any bag, is hidden, and mystery drives imagination. The bag of the doctor, the wizard, or the medicine man is filled with strange and mysterious items, that only they can understand. This gives the holder of the bag an air of mystique, as if they alone (because of this understanding) are a people apart.

Your average woman, of course, is hardly an ancient and mysterious sage. Her handbag is, usually, not filled with particularly strange items (although many men would disagree), and so it may seem somewhat ridiculous to apply the same mechanism of mystery to her, as to a medicine man or doctor. And yet, her purse does conceal its contents, and it does serve to surround her - at least a little bit - with an air of mystery.

So the hidden contents of her bag sets the women apart, and surrounds them with a strange attraction, as well as giving immediate access to whatever she might have need for at the moment. There are two reasons for you, and I'm sure you can guess the third.

A handbag is a fashionable item to carry. It is actually that simple. A woman's handbag is an excellent indicator of her fashion preferences, and as such, shows clearly her place, or perhaps rather her perception of her place, in the social order. I'm sure you can immediately see that a woman with a small, plain handbag, is clearly in a different position to one with a large ornate one.

Take, for example, Margaret Thatcher. Notice how closely her handbags resembled that of the Queen Mothers. Was this coincidence, or was there some deeper connection? Maybe both of these women chose the same style, because of their similar positions. Both leaders, with a great deal of power, and most importantly both female, it should come as no surprise that they both would choose similar handbags.

To sum up, handbags have a great deal of significance, and are intensely tied to everything that is female. A handbag allows a woman to stay organized, with everything she needs at hand, while at the same time both showing clearly her social standing and generating an attractive aura of mystery about her.