historically, while male alternative strategies have been well documented, alternative female strategies have not been studied extensively. this large discrepancy in information is mostly due to two factors. first, male mating behaviour is typically driven by competition for mates, such as physical competition, territoriality, or parental care investment. thus, male alternative behaviours arise as a direct result of these various forms of competition. however, females typically do not compete directly for these resources or mates. instead, females indirectly compete through differences in premating, mating and post-mating behaviour. the subtle nature of female competition makes alternative behaviours very difficult to study relative to males. second, males are more likely to experience sexual selection than females. due to this increased selection, it is statistically more likely for alternative strategies to evolve in males than females. however, though subtle and slightly less commonly, females can experience limitations in access to males and male parental care. thus, alternative female strategies have evolved to circumvent these limitations. below are some examples of alternative female strategies seen in nature.