Scientists have found that women have evolved over the years to be 'indirectly aggressive' and mean to one another without resorting to violence.
The study, which was done to explore the scientific basis for "competition and aggression" between women, found that the "constraints of offspring production and care" forced females to turn to low-risk forms of aggression, the Independent reported.
One of the researchers, Paula Stockley, said that females compete for resources needed to survive and reproduce, and for preferred mates.
Although female aggression takes diverse forms, under most circumstances relatively low-risk competitive strategies are favoured, the study found.
The study is published in the journal of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.