Women use gossip to compete for a man's attention. Although both men and women gossip, women may be more likely to use gossiping and rumour-mongering as tactics to badmouth a potential rival who is competing for a man's attention. Women also gossip more about other women's looks, whereas men talk about cues to resource holding (E.g., wealth) and the athleticism of their competitors. Source 4a.
Why Women Gossip (Hover)
Gossiping has been around for a long, long time. I do know women and as well men do it but I am still in the dark about what women actually talk about. I do know they talk to their girl friends about guys in bed how good or bad they are. To know they will spread bad things about another girl to win a man is interesting. I wonder if this has truth in it.
Idle talk or fierce competition? Research finds women use gossip as a weapon in rivalries. New research investigating how women use gossip to compete in the realm of romance offers insights that aim to reduce bullying and enhance women's friendships. Source 7l.
They could have just asked me rather than doing research. I've seen enough cases of women spreading rumors to damage and hurt their exes as well as anyone they saw as a rival.