TEEN GIRLS:
“The herd mentality of teen girls drives their desire to have close girl friends, despite that the going gets tough. There are Misery Lovers already in place, as well as Users and Frenemies. Many girls want to be included, popular, and will go to great lengths to accomplish this.”
CAREER WOMEN:
“The shared identity of being in the workplace and building a career works on one level, but the competition for women in the workplace also affects these relationships and can keep them at arms length.”
MOTHERS:
“Mothers strongly identify with one another but it is the stay-at-home mothers who are bonded, while working mothers complain that they often feel iced by this group. Working mothers frequently befriend one another because they’ve been shut out by the core group, and want to justify their decision to work. There is also rivalry among mothers, over children of every age, regarding their achievements (sports, scholarships, any kind of talent) and this can be a wedge in the friendship-these mothers can’t be that honest with each other.”
WOMEN IN THEIR 40’s:
“For women over 40 there are different reasons they care so much about their female friends: late in life motherhood, divorce, singlehood, and a return to the workplace, all contribute to women banding together. In enough cases, mirroring is still in place, and women in their 40’s will seek each other out because their lives are similar. In terms of social life, some will seek out a Trophy Friend, others will want the real deal, the Sharer.”
50+ WOMEN:
“50+ women rely on their friends and are willing to tolerate some tough times as a result. Thus, an empty nest, widowhood, retirement, and society’s views on aging are causes that bring women together. On the other hand, women over 50 have been though enough to stop putting up with a User or a bossy friend. Not everyone is in the same boat anymore. By now the Authentic Friend is at a premium.”