The Power of Female Friendship

By Grace Adeline Baker

“I don’t know what I would do without my women friends. They make me stronger, they make me smarter, they make me braver” - Jane

Fonda

There is nothing quite like the love involved in true friendships between women. The comfort of knowing there’s a door you can knock on for advice and a number you can call to share your good news with is invaluable. Female friendships are among the most valuable relationships because of the pure way women are able to care for each other, and that level of care positively influences every aspect of life.

“You okay?” “Yeah, I got my girls” - Rachel Green, Friends

A study done by researchers at UCLA found that women naturally seek to create strong attachments with other women and reach out for support from other women during times of stress, while men typically use the fight or flight response. In times of stress, women can reach out to their close friends and receive an abundance of support that calms their anxiety and helps them cope. Think about all the times you’ve vented to a friend about a class you hate, reached out for a shoulder to cry on after a breakup, or found guidance from friends during a rough time in your life. That is the power of female friendship.

“I think women know how to be friends. That’s what saves our lives” - Alice Adams

The Journal of Clinical Oncology published a study that found that within the first six months after a breast cancer diagnosis, patients with strong friendships have a better chance of survival and reduced risk of recurring cancer. Women with strong satisfaction with their social and emotional support have a 38% lower chance of cancer-related death and a 48% lower chance of their cancer recurring than those who are not satisfied with their support. The biggest surprise of the study, according to researchers, was that “physical well-being was less important than strong social ties in breast cancer outcomes.”

“Women understand. We may share experiences, make jokes, paint pictures, and describe humiliations that mean nothing to men, but women understand” - Gloria Steinem

Shared womanhood creates a feeling of safety because of the comfort that comes from knowing another woman will understand the joy, pain, anger, or sadness you are feeling and will not judge you for it. I think one of the most powerful things about being a woman is the capacity for empathy and intuition. I have experienced in many of my own friendships that female friends have a unique capability to understand how you are feeling without having to tell them. Women are naturally more in touch with emotions and, as a result, are able to sync with the emotions of loved ones. It feels so amazing to be able to be understood without having to explain or justify your emotions because sometimes you just need to feel understood.

“Women’s friendships are a renewable source of power” - Jane Fonda

As college students, especially as international students, our friends are most likely the only immediate support system we have. That is something to be cherished and something worth exerting the effort it takes to preserve it. And who knows? You and your female friends may end up saving each other from breast cancer one day. Or, if you’re lucky, you may end up with a lifelong friendship like that of Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, and who wouldn’t want that?