"But the culturally recurrent findings ... suggest a strong psychological bent in the fairer sex that leads naturally to these types of catty displays."

Define naturally. If you mean that our current patriarchal social structure makes females think they are in competition amongst each other, then you're absolutely right. I realize that you make some claims as to the evolutionary quality of that competition, but unless you can control for that intense social conditioning (ever hear a teenage boy say, 'ooo, cat fight!'?) I don't think you can make that claim. Also, I think your comment that post-menopausal women are less bitchy toward other women might actually stem from the same source, that perhaps they've grown up enough to be aware of the social construct and reject it.

I don't think you're intentionally being sexist -- although FYI: when you actually state, 'some may think I'm being misogynistic but...' there's a good chance you are. But you've never experienced the social conditioning a woman does, when she's told that being a girl is somehow less, that boys are in a different group all together, and so you compete with other girls because being the best of the girls is all you can ever hope to be. In order to really evaluate the subject, I think you'll have to step back and look at what you call empirical statements taking into account the social conditioning behind the subjects' behavior. To not do so is to make your conclusions both invalid and irrelevant.

Sounds like the respondants are all adolescent females. I thought Dr. Bering's article was humerous, not something to be attacked.

Joebone

"The irony in Bering's catty, passive-aggressive barb to Jezebel is so obvious that I'm honestly surprised he didn't notice it himself."

Repeated, for emphasis.

There is a natural foundation for social aggression within females, YES. Evolutionary psychology is a worthy study, it is simply another field of study.

However, the manner in which the article was written champions gender stereotyping. It comes across as unbelievably misogynistic because as opposed to science, it presents societal connotations. I understand Mr. Bering has quite a humor to him, and I read his articles weekly and thoroughly enjoy them. However, in this case, his "wit" was used inappropriately, and became incredibly offensive. Instead of informing the reader of different anthropological, biological and psychological research, it became a commentary on the "bitch image" of women -- an image which plagues women in every endeavor, occupational and educational included.