The Influence of Women’s Mate Value on Intrasexual Competition

Abstract

In order to engage in assortative mating, people must be accurate in self-assessments of their current worth on the mating market. We argue that people intrinsically know their worth (i.e., mate value), and that this knowledge has far-reaching implications on a variety of behaviors and decisions. Here our focus is on women’s mate value and how it relates to their intrasexual competition for access to, and retention of, romantic partners. We start with a review of definitions and the components of female mate value, discuss mate preferences in relation to assessment of mate value, and then briefly provide a sample of some auxiliary issues, such as how feelings of control over mate value influence one’s well-being. We then turn to female intrasexual competition and specifically review competitive strategy use in relation to mate value. In the last section, we provide areas for further investigation.