From Johnny Cheung
Your article states that “girls get competitive, but only if it’s worth it” (24 August, p 21).
Surely, nature would never create a social behaviour that is “stupid”, as your piece suggests competitive males are. Winning improves the winners’ psychological characteristics, thus increasing their advantage. The gain in social status and mental confidence could itself justify participation in a competition which has no immediate gains.
Girls don’t compete as much simply because in most mammalian species, it is the poor males’ role to compete for a mate, while the females simply choose the winner.
Sydney
