Feminism

Feminism as female intrasexual competition

Feminism as female intrasexual competition is a hypothesis in evolutionary psychology, primarily advanced by Australian behavioural scientist and evolutionary psychologist Dr Danielle (Dani) Sulikowski. It proposes that many aspects of feminist ideology, cultural messaging, and associated social norms function (or have come to function) as strategies of female–female (intrasexual) competition. In particular, these can involve the suppression of other women’s reproductive success, thereby improving the relative reproductive standing of those promoting or enacting the norms.

Sulikowski frames this within the concept of manipulative reproductive suppression (MRS): the idea that reproductive success is relative, so individuals gain by reducing rivals’ fertility as well as (or instead of) maximising their own. She argues that feminism has served as an effective cultural vehicle for such dynamics, especially through narratives that discourage early marriage, high fertility, traditional pair-bonding, or prioritisation of motherhood.

The idea is presented as a developing hypothesis rather than a fully formalised, peer-reviewed theory. It draws on established research on female intrasexual competition and has been elaborated mainly through interviews, podcasts, and related empirical studies on competitive tactics.

Background: Female intrasexual competition

In evolutionary biology and psychology, intrasexual competition refers to competition among members of the same sex for mating opportunities or reproductive resources. While male competition often involves direct contest (physical aggression, status displays), female competition is typically more indirect and subtle. Tactics include self-promotion (enhancing attractiveness), rival derogation (gossip, social exclusion, reputation damage), and various forms of sabotage or advice that disadvantage competitors.

Because female reproductive success is more constrained (by pregnancy, lactation, and offspring care), women are under selection pressure not only to secure high-quality mates and resources but also to limit rivals’ success. Relative reproductive rate matters: having two children when the population average is 1.8 yields a larger genetic share than having two when the average is 2.2. Lowering the background fertility rate can therefore benefit higher-reproducing or higher-status women.

Classic literature documents these patterns across cultures and in experimental settings (e.g., competitor derogation, appearance-related sabotage, and relational aggression).

Sulikowski’s hypothesis

Sulikowski, a Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University and researcher in comparative cognition, human mating, and social signalling, extends this framework to modern cultural and political phenomena. She contends that feminist messaging—encouraging career primacy over family, framing motherhood as oppressive or environmentally irresponsible, promoting delayed fertility, or disrupting traditional courtship and sex differences—can operate as emergent or coordinated forms of manipulative reproductive suppression.

Key claims include: - Feminism’s common thread across variants is the net reduction of female reproductive output. - What may begin as (or be presented as) advocacy for rights and welfare can be co-opted by, or always have contained, competitive motives that suppress rivals. - High-status or elite women may particularly benefit by shifting norms that reduce fertility among broader populations while preserving or enhancing their own relative position. - Analogous dynamics appear in other species (reproductive suppression by dominant females), but in humans they can scale culturally through advice, media, and ideology.

She has described the process as potentially shifting from rivalry-focused suppression toward broader civilisational effects once fertility and social cohesion decline sufficiently.

Supporting research and examples

Sulikowski’s laboratory has produced empirical work on competitive tactics that align with the broader hypothesis: - A 2023/2024 study (“Off with her hair”) found that intrasexually competitive women advised other women to cut off more hair than necessary, interpreted as appearance sabotage. - Related projects examine makeup as an aggressive or competitive signal, social-media self-promotion and spending, advice amplification of reproductively inhibiting messages (e.g., on breastfeeding or child-rearing), and competitive motherhood decisions. - Student theses under her supervision have tested whether competitive women amplify harmful or fertility-suppressing content online.

These findings are situated within a larger body of work on mate-value signalling, facial morphology, and sex differences in competitive behaviour. The direct linkage of feminism itself to MRS remains largely theoretical and discussed in public forums rather than a single definitive paper.

Reception and status

The hypothesis has gained attention primarily in podcasts, interviews (e.g., Quillette Cetera, Modern Wisdom, independent channels), and online discussion rather than mainstream academic consensus. It is treated as provocative and speculative by both supporters and critics. Supporters view it as a useful evolutionary lens for declining fertility rates and cultural shifts in the West; critics may see it as reductionist, overly deterministic, or insufficiently distinguishing conscious ideology from unconscious evolved motives.

Sulikowski herself presents it as a developing idea open to testing, noting that cultural narratives can emerge organically from individual competitive pressures without requiring central coordination.

Related literature

Broader scholarship on female competition includes work by Maryanne L. Fisher, Joyce F. Benenson, Anne Campbell, David M. Buss, and others on indirect aggression, mate-retention tactics, and life-history aspects of women’s rivalry. Cross-cultural studies of inter- and intrasexual mate competition (e.g., involving feminine males in some societies) further illustrate flexibility in competitive domains.

Notes

1. Intra- and Intersexual Mate Competition in Two Cultures (Human Nature, 2022).
2. An Evolutionary Review of Female Intrasexual Competition (Oxford Handbook of Human Mating).
3. The development of human female competition: allies and adversaries (Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 2013).
4. Sulikowski laboratory site and publications: danisulikowski.com, Publications, Research.
5. Off with her hair: intrasexually competitive women advise other women to cut off more hair (Personality and Individual Differences, 2024).
6. Quillette Cetera interview: How Intrasexual Competition Suppresses Female Fertility with Dr Dani Sulikowski.
7. Related discussions: Modern Wisdom episode #1064; various interviews on MRS and civilisational implications (e.g., The Mansplainers, independent channels).
8. Google Scholar profile: Danielle Sulikowski.