There actually are reasonable-sounding evolutionary hypotheses behind status competition for women in addition to competition for males: competition over food, particularly food for infants.
Further reading:
Male, Female by David Geary
Mother Nature by Sarah Hrdy
Also recommended: Anne Campbell’s A Mind of Her Own: The Evolutionary Psychology of Women, which has chapters on status, competition, and aggression amongst women.
Thanks! I found this review, and at first look it seems to support me more than y’all: unless I’m reading it wrong, it says that women’s desire to look good is explained only by competition for good mates. Now, I’m a total amateur and would love to be corrected, but the arguments offered so far just aren’t very convincing.
There actually are reasonable-sounding evolutionary hypotheses behind status competition for women in addition to competition for males: competition over food, particularly food for infants.
Further reading: Male, Female by David Geary Mother Nature by Sarah Hrdy
Also recommended: Anne Campbell’s A Mind of Her Own: The Evolutionary Psychology of Women, which has chapters on status, competition, and aggression amongst women.
Thanks! I found this review, and at first look it seems to support me more than y’all: unless I’m reading it wrong, it says that women’s desire to look good is explained only by competition for good mates. Now, I’m a total amateur and would love to be corrected, but the arguments offered so far just aren’t very convincing.