https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.03.011

Abstract:

Researchers have suggested that women compete with same-sex peers using indirect social tactics. However, the specific predictors and mechanisms of this form of female intrasexual competition are less well understood. We propose that one mechanism by which women harm rivals' social opportunities is through selectively transmitting reputation-relevant social information. Moreover, we contend that this behavior is designed to undermine the romantic and social appeal of same-sex romantic rivals who are perceived to be threatening. Evidence from five studies suggests that women's dissemination of social information is strategic and reliably predicted by various cues of romantic rival threat: attempts at mate poaching (Study 1), physical attractiveness (Studies 2 and 3), and provocative clothing (Studies 4 and 5). Women strategically harmed and failed to enhance the reputations of other women who threatened their romantic prospects directly (by flirting with their romantic partners) and indirectly (by being attractive or provocatively dressed). Women's dispositional levels of competitiveness also predicted their information transmission: highly competitive women (both generally and in romantic domains specifically) disclosed more reputation-damaging information than did less competitive women. Furthermore, women transmitted reputation-harming information about female targets independent of how much they explicitly liked those targets, suggesting a disconnect between women's intentions and their gossip behavior. Irrespective of the gossiper's intentions, pilot data confirmed that social harm is likely to befall the women targeted by the transmission of reputation-damaging social information.

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Excerpts from general discussion:

Across five studies, we found support for the prediction that women transmit social information about one another strategically—harming and not helping the reputations of threatening romantic rivals. Women transmitted information that damaged and withheld information that bolstered the reputation of women who posed both direct romantic threats (i.e., mate poaching) and who indirectly threatened their romantic prospects.

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Supporting the contention that women's strategic use of social information is a form of competition, female participants' level of competitiveness influenced their use of social information.

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Taken together, the current investigation extends previous research on women's rivalry in some critical ways. First, it systematically demonstrated a mechanism of female intrasexual competition: selective information transmission.

Second, it established that the pattern of reputation-tarnishing behaviors was consistently predicted by romantic threat, based on a wide range of cues: attempts at mate poaching, rival physical attractiveness, and rival's sexualized clothing, granting confidence that this is indeed a mechanism of intrasexual romantic rivalry.

Third, the pilot data demonstrated the tangible social consequences of this information transfer. Three statements about a target female's sexual infidelity, promiscuity, and disease contraction each harmed men's attraction to her as both a friend and a romantic partner.

Fourth, it examined directly whether the pattern of aggressive information transmission paralleled conscious feelings towards targets. Indeed, these findings suggested women's reputation-harming disclosures do not stem entirely from explicit malicious intentions to harm another woman's desirability.

Last, the investigation identified a consistent dispositional predictor of women's reputation-tarnishing behaviors: competitiveness. Taken together, the current studies uncovered the situational and dispositional predictors of women's same-sex aggression, as well as the tangibly harmful mechanism by which it unfolds: selective information disclosure.

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However, findings from Studies 3 and 5 suggest that even though women competitively harmed threatening rivals' reputations independent of whether they liked those rivals.

Many women reported that other women behaved competitively towards them, but they did not behave competitively themselves. Similarly, Reynolds (2016) found that women reported greater victimization than men to same-sex peers' gossip and rumors, but no greater likelihood of reporting their own use of these behaviors. It appears then that women can detect one another's competitiveness and aggression, but not their own. The reports of the second confederate from Study 5 suggest a solution to this paradox: women may be unaware of their malicious gossip and competitiveness because they believe they are operating out of concern. Indeed, the second confederate reported that many participants seemed earnestly worried when they disclosed the confederate's social information.

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These findings also add to a growing body of research suggesting that women are threatened by and actively suppress one another's open expression of sexuality (e.g., Baumeister & Twenge, 2002; Bleske & Shackelford, 2001). Studies 4 and 5 found that women denigrated rivals dressed sexually. Moreover, across all five studies, women increased their transmission of information related to sexual promiscuity (i.e., STD, cheating, and sexual looseness) about threatening same-sex peers. Results from the pilot data demonstrated that this information holds important social ramification for gossip targets. When listeners learn of this information, they perceive the female targets as less moral and avoid them as friends and romantic partners. The pattern of findings emergent here may be of interest to researchers and laypersons alike interested in reducing the sexual double standard, whereby women are punished for the same sexual behaviors for which men are rewarded (e.g., Milhausen & Herold, 1999). For example, approaching behaviorssuch as “slut shaming”from a intrasexual romantic competition framework may be illuminative for understanding the motivation behind these harmful behaviors and designing effective interventions.

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Beyond sexual intolerance, the current findings shed light on a larger pattern of female bullying and aggression. Ethnographic and victimization data suggest that the pattern of bullying mirrors the current investigation's main findings. Girls and women who are attractive, flirtatious, sexually experienced, or sexually dressed are at greater risk of victimization by other females' rumors, teasing and gossip (Leenaars et al., 2008; Owens et al., 2000; Tanenbaum, 2002). The theoretical framework presented here makes sense of this pattern: these are women's most threatening romantic rivals. The widespread derogation of women's sexual openness (e.g., terms such as “slut”) can also be understood from this framework: this information harms women's appeal as long-term romantic partners (Buss, 1988, 1989; Tanenbaum, 1999). The current results support both these theoretical assertions of female intrasexual competition as well as demonstrate the existence and consequences of these strategic reputation manipulation behaviors. Furthermore, findings revealed that women who are competitive, particularly in romantic domains, are the most aggressive with social information. This knowledge should prove useful for identifying perpetrators of, and thereby helping to reduce, this aggression.