That's strange. While some boys were undeniably competitive (mostly athletes, where they're expected to be), on the whole, my observations growing up were that

That's strange. While some boys were undeniably competitive (mostly athletes, where they're expected to be), on the whole, my observations growing up were that girls were viciously competitive, following the maxim "it's a small world, so use your elbows a lot." They were also often cruel to each other, and in any case, keen to establish explicit hierarchies of social popularity and dominance. I am not sure they were in it for authority or power or respect per se - psychological desires often attributed to men - but they were definitely aggressive and competitive. Most men I knew, meanwhile, easily made friends with each other, were not particularly standoffish, and tended to work together to achieve common goals rather effectively. Sometimes there would be a little bit of healthy competitive dynamic, but almost always within the context of a universally acknowledged, healthy group effort.