Why are women so spiteful

[egroen]

It is very difficult to work with other women sometimes; they really can be spiteful, backtalking and petty... more so than men, it seems.

I have developed a bit of a theory about this over the years. I think human beings are competitive by nature and we strive for competition in our lives.

With men, that competition is focused towards sports at an early age. They can get out their aggression, "leave it on the field" and learn how to handle competition as "part of the game" without taking it personally. Even once they are too old to actively participate in sports they feel just as much a part of it by cheering for their favorite local teams, playing golf or maybe even video games.

Women are not brought up to be as competitive, even if they do play sports. Subtley, it could even be argued women are encouraged to compete with other women for attention, men and simply who is the prettiest. But this competition is not 'in your face' or out in the open -- it's way more diplomatic and insidious than fostering competition through sports and way more personal.

So in the job world (and also with friends), women have a tendancy to take competition, slights and trivial differences WAY more personally than men. It is not merely a 'part of the game' for women.

-Erin

 

[Revasser]

Also true. I don't hear a lot about roaming gangs of violent female youths.

You should come to Perth some time.

 

[CaptainXeroid]

...With men, that competition is focused towards sports at an early age. They can get out their aggression, "leave it on the field" and learn how to handle competition as "part of the game" without taking it personally...

This is what I was thinking, so it must be a good point. It's quite common to see a group of guys eating pizza or hot wings and drinking beer together mere minutes after they tried to beat each other to a pulp on the field.

My wife does not have many female friends and echoes the sentiments in the article, and I have had problems with a few guys who were too competitive. As others have pointed out, a lot depends on how personalities clash.

 

[ladyhawke]

It is very difficult to work with other women sometimes; they really can be spiteful, backtalking and petty... more so than men, it seems.

I have developed a bit of a theory about this over the years. I think human beings are competitive by nature and we strive for competition in our lives.

With men, that competition is focused towards sports at an early age. They can get out their aggression, "leave it on the field" and learn how to handle competition as "part of the game" without taking it personally. Even once they are too old to actively participate in sports they feel just as much a part of it by cheering for their favorite local teams, playing golf or maybe even video games.

Women are not brought up to be as competitive, even if they do play sports. Subtley, it could even be argued women are encouraged to compete with other women for attention, men and simply who is the prettiest. But this competition is not 'in your face' or out in the open -- it's way more diplomatic and insidious than fostering competition through sports and way more personal.

So in the job world (and also with friends), women have a tendancy to take competition, slights and trivial differences WAY more personally than men. It is not merely a 'part of the game' for women.

-Erin

my thoughts exactly Erin..good post.:yes:

 

[bigvindaloo]

Isn't being spiteful facilitated by women having a more relationship oriented outlook on life than men? (this is in itself a stereotype). Male competition is more overt and rule oriented, so likely to be viewed as objective?

 

[Radio Frequency X]

Isn't being spiteful facilitated by women having a more relationship oriented outlook on life than men? (this is in itself a stereotype). Male competition is more overt and rule oriented, so likely to be viewed as objective?

Terrific observation. You may be on to something.

 

[ladyhawke]

Isn't being spiteful facilitated by women having a more relationship oriented outlook on life than men? (this is in itself a stereotype). Male competition is more overt and rule oriented, so likely to be viewed as objective?

If you mean that women are competing with each other for male attention..i'll agree with this,i can't count the number of times i've heard women talking to men about some woman that the man is ogling and doing her down..(yes i admit i have been guilty)..so this i can go along with...but do men do this..do you guys ..would you show up another guys faults(in your eyes) to a women you admired maybe to put her off..

 

[Katzpur]

If I knew, then I'd probably have female friends and I probably wouldn't have suffered as much through school. Women are evil...that's the conclusion I've come to anyway and I am a woman. Women are manipulative and vindictive...moreso to other women than to men even.

I think that the fact that men have trouble forming bonds between one another might have something to do with this. If you can't get close to other people, except on a very superficial level (i.e. let's talk sports, cars, sex, etc.), there is less risk involved in the relationship. And the greater the risk, the more the "need" to be "spiteful." I don't know... just a thought.

 

[Flappycat]

Well, men solve their issues by hitting each other in the head with clubs, whereas women tend to solve their issues by messing with each other emotionally. Both can leave lasting head trauma; they're just done in different ways. Some women are really cruel, but some men are really mean-spirited. The proper way to deal with either is to drive spikes into their skulls, figuratively speaking.

 

[Ðanisty]

I think that the fact that men have trouble forming bonds between one another might have something to do with this. If you can't get close to other people, except on a very superficial level (i.e. let's talk sports, cars, sex, etc.), there is less risk involved in the relationship. And the greater the risk, the more the "need" to be "spiteful." I don't know... just a thought.

This may explain the relationships that men have with each other. I've found though that all the friendships I've had with men have been very close...much closer than I could ever have with another woman.

 

[coberst]

Women are spitful because men are such jerks.

 

[michel]

I know this may be a generalisation...but heres a link have a read then post what you think

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=392856&in_page_id=1773

"Why are women so .. [spiteful]?"

If they are, homones might play a part........

'Are girls really doomed to be .. [spiteful]?'

Help, I don't know...........my wife can be very spiteful.

'Boys, it seems, forge alliances to get on.

I distrust that statement; in any experiments I have seen, it has been shown that girls make far better team players than men.

Girls seek to exclude and rule.'

My wife does!:bow: