The Oxford Handbook of Women and Competition

Oxford Library of Psychology

by Maryanne L. Fisher (editor)

While women are generally perceived to be less competitive than men, women compete in many ways and in a variety of situations. Women try to make themselves look more attractive to draw the attention of a desirable mate. They will use gossip as a form of informational warfare to influence reputations. They compete as mothers to gain access to resources that directly influence the health of their children. They use selfies posted on social media to manipulate others' perceptions. Women compete all of their in the womb, through adolescence and adulthood, and into their elder years.

The topic of women's competition has gained significant momentum over the years. Edited by Maryanne L. Fisher, The Oxford Handbook of Women and Competition provides readers with direct evidence of this growth and is one of the first scholarly volumes to focus specifically on this topic. Fisher and her team of contributors offer a definitive worldview of the current state of knowledge regarding competition among women today. Many of the chapters are grounded within an evolutionary framework, allowing for authors to investigate the adaptive nature of women's competitive behaviors, motivations, and cognition. Other chapters rely on alternative frameworks, with contributors also asserting that socio-cultural forces are the culprit shaping women's competitive drives. Additionally, several contributors focus their attention on issues faced by adolescent girls, and explore the developmental trajectories for young women through adulthood.

Designed to serve as a source of inspiration for future research and direction, The Oxford Handbook of Women and Competition is a stand-out scholarly text focusing on the many competitive forces driving women today.

856 pages, Hardcover

Published September 11, 2017

Reviews

[Y Sh A · Rating 3 out of 5]

an academic take needed If you, like me, have come to the subject from a feminist point of view.
Some chapters are problematic and it's evident that studies focus on mate selection rather than resources as reasons to compete for women, as men tend to believe themselves providers and have a bias looking at women prioritising finding a mate to finding resources that maybe would not make her need a mate.

One of the most problematic passages I found in chapter 10,when the theory of costly signalling mentions a study that implies women only (should) wear sexy, revealing clothes if the mean to attract a male partner and that is rarely done otherwise by women

"[...] women would communicate honest rather than dishonest signals of mating intent (e.g., wearing revealing clothing when they are not interested in mating)."

Keeping that in mind, as every academic book so many sources, citations, studies to cross reference which I find great personally.

The endocrine side, the consideration of eating disorders as self promotion or competitor manipulation are extremely interesting point that no sociological book I read on the matter before had been able to touch so glad to have managed to read this even if the academic style can make it hard to read.

[Yanick Punter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read those chapters I considered interesting.