Same-sex rivalry at work plagues women

Women in the workplace are plagued by jealousy and envy when it comes to their more attractive colleagues, while men remain unfazed by such same-sex rivalry, a new study has revealed.

Women in the workplace are plagued by jealousy and envy when it comes to their more attractive colleagues, while men remain unfazed by such same-sex rivalry, a new study has revealed.

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However, the study also found that both men and women are equally envious of a rival’s social skills.

Using questionnaires given to 200 workers, scientists analysed intrasexual rivalry, choosing 114 people to further complete the study.

Results showed sexual competition generally causes more jealousy and envy in women, but rivals’ social skills provoke both emotions in both men and women. “This result shows the importance of social skills in work environments,” the Daily Mail quoted Rosario Zurriaga from the University of Valencia as saying. “Women with a high level of intrasexual competition are more jealous if the rival is more attractive and more envious if the rival is more powerful and dominating. They did not get any results in men, as no rival characteristics that provoke jealousy predicted intrasexual competition.

“Our research intends to clarify the role of emotions like envy and jealousy at work. These feelings have not been studied in working contexts and can cause stress in workers and negatively affect the quality of working life,” Zurriaga said.