It’s what comes naturally, according to the author of “The ‘Bitch’ Evolved: Why Girls Are So Cruel to Each Other,” posted at ScientificAmerican.com. He notes a pattern that is probably not news to most readers:

While teenage boys and young male adults are more prone to engage in direct aggression, which includes physical acts of violence such as hitting, punching and kicking, females, in comparison, exhibit pronounced social aggression ….

“Social aggression” — ah, what stories lurk behind that coy term. You should read the article for the full story. The author’s take on things (from the evolutionary perspective — he’s a scientist) is that the physical aggression of the boys is their way of competing (with other boys) for the girls, while the social aggression of the girls is their way of undermining the chances of other girls (rivals) with the boys. The difference is that everyone notices when boys fight, but only females notice this incessant social warfare.

In a post a couple of years ago, “Essential Differences,” I reviewed a book that took a different perspective on differences in male-female psychology but which agreed that many of the differences are by “nature” rather than by “nurture.” That doesn’t make those different characteristics either good or bad, of course, but it certainly does make one think a little harder about how we structure our institutions (school, work, church) and how we evaluate the conduct of others.