Even in this era of flourishing feminism, tolerance and accommodating are seen as part of femininity. However, finding itself in a situation of rivalry for male disposition, the weaker sex is capable of a fierce struggle. This is neither good nor bad – this is how the world works: the primitive instinct of competitiveness lives in each of us. Psychologists have studied women's reactions to rivals and their unconscious behavioral strategies.
Female Competition Phenomenon
Let's do a little associative test. Say the words "competitive," "competitive," "active," and let go of your imagination. If the association "man" is immediately born – You are in the majority. These qualities are indeed traditionally in our view associated with masculinity. It was them that Sir Charles Darwin singled out as necessary for attracting the attention of the opposite sex and procreation.
Since that time, science has been studying the phenomenon of male competition. And only at the end of the last century, scientific works began to appear, demonstrating the inconsistency of the statement that the weaker sex is not prone to competition. Women are equally involved in the struggle for procreation. And the more limited the resource (men of working age), the more brutal the methods.
Why don't we have enough men?
The gender trend is disappointing. According to official statistics, in Kyiv today more than 200,000 women do not have a couple at all. Demographers comment on the situation of a critical shortage of men in a scientific way. The main reason they call the early age of balancing the number of men and women. As in the whole world, 5-6% more boys are born in our country than girls. It is a way of natural insurance. Men are more susceptible to mortality due to their propensity for risky behavior and injuries. By a certain age, the number of men and women is the same, and then there are more women.
It's all about when exactly the balance comes. So, in Western Europe it happens in 40-45 years. And in Ukraine, according to the Institute of Demography, – by the age of 30. Moreover, in large cities, the balance point – 20-25 years old. This is explained by the fact that girls who have graduated from school, more often than young people, go to megacities to seek their fortune. Having the prospect of a successful marriage, it is easier for them than for guys to decide on such a step. So, beautiful girls flood the streets of the capital. In such a situation, be compliant and soft towards your opponent – an unaffordable luxury for a woman.
General Tactics
Psychologists say that female friendship, no matter how strong and close it may be, depreciates in a situation where one of the friends interferes with the construction of a love relationship with the other. If one of the friends poses a threat to the love relationship of the other, tension instantly appears in the friendship.
American psychologist David Bass proved that intrasexual competition manifests itself in two main forms: on the one hand, we position ourselves as the best candidate, on the other – trying to weaken the opponent's position. Men demonstrate traditionally masculine features – physical strength, money, status. And women – factors biologically attractive to men. Namely – physical beauty and youth. Accordingly, by weakening an opponent, men show his physical or social incompetence, while women most often criticize the appearance, age or unfeminine character traits of the opponent.
Very feminine options
Canadians Marian Fisher and Anthony Cox described two more tactics used by women. First, lover manipulation is an attempt to weaken the opponent's influence while we are still in the lead. So, if a young attractive secretary appears in the office, a smart wife will find an excuse why her husband should not visit her at work.
The second tactic is to manipulate a competitor – consists in the deliberate devaluation of the object of claims in the eyes of competitors. So, a lady can tell her friends unpleasant things about a man with the sole purpose of – eliminate interest from potential rivals.
English clinical psychologist Joyce Benenson identified the following features of female competition.
1. Women are focused on covert verbal aggression rather than open conflict. This is due to the evolutionary need for a woman to protect her body for carrying and giving birth to a child.
2. Women who have status and are confident in their beauty do not need the protection of other women.
3. As long as a beautiful woman has not secured the recognition of others, she will face hidden rejection from the representatives of her sex.
A group of women defends themselves from the bright femina that unconsciously threatens them, imposing certain standards of appearance and behavior peculiar to them. In the most revealing cases, such a woman is ignored, expelled from the sorority for the sole reason – it is of interest to men, which means – dangerous.
Competition is inherent in us at a physiological level. Experiments by psychologists from the University of Florida have shown that in women who come into contact with the underwear of another woman who is in the ovulation phase, the level of testosterone in the blood increases dramatically – hormone responsible for aggression. That is, a lady ready for conception is perceived by her rivals as sharply as possible.
Competition as a trendmaker
The standards of beauty adopted in modern society have an aggressive impact on the beautiful half of humanity. The ideal proportions of the body today are considered to be those that contradict the nature and natural physique of the vast majority of women. We tend to blame it primarily on the media. However, studies by psychologists prove that this state of affairs is the result of female competition. Christopher Fergusson believes that advertising and glossy magazines do not form, but only reflect beauty trends. According to his study, watching movies with perfect beauties had no effect on women's self-esteem, while the appearance of a beautiful woman in their environment caused a decrease in self-esteem. That is, female dissatisfaction with appearance is connected with real competitiveness, and not with what is shown on TV.<
In a modern city, the issue of competition is especially acute. People in the old days got married quite early. Now, as a result of the postponement of this step until later and the huge number of divorces, competition in the marriage market is fierce. So many people are simultaneously in search of a suitable partner for life and love. And in this psychological war for the right to find the most worthy woman, perhaps much more than men are inventive and cruel. On the other hand, competition – engine of progress. She does not allow us to blossom and turn into shapeless aunts in shabby dressing gowns. It makes you run to the gym after work and gives you the strength to work miracles at the stove and in bed, helps you overcome laziness and realize yourself to the fullest. Cruel, of course. But vital and effective.Source estet-portal.com
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