Intrasexual Mating Competition

Abstract In the mating domain, same-sex conspecifics can be competitors when pursuing, attracting, and retaining desirable partners. We provide (a) an overview of the major metatheories (e.g., obligate parental investment and biological markets) that bear on intrasexual competition for mates; (b) explore support for predictions derived from these metatheories in empirical research on females’ and males’ intrasexual mating competition; and also discuss (c) robust evidence consistent with the core premise of intrasexual mating competition—that members of each sex compete with rivals to gain and retain access to mates, and that this competition centers on features that the other sex finds particularly desirable. Moreover, the tactics of this competition often differ in revealing ways. Whereas examples in both human and nonhuman animals are considered, the current work focuses on the causes, consequences, and modes of intrasexual mating competition among heterosexual men and women, but we nevertheless conclude by highlighting important qualifiers and limitations in existing work with an eye toward future research (e.g., on women, non-heterosexual relationships, and parents) that challenges our current conceptualizations of the boundaries of intrasexual mating competition.