Sex Differences in Same-Sex Friendships

Abstract

The essential difference between male and female same-sex friendships, in words Paul Wright (1982) has used to describe it, is that female friendships are ``face to face'' whereas male friendships are ``side by side.'' These phrases capture the frequently replicated finding that female friends like to ``just talk'' and view this activity as central to their friendship. Females compared to males also describe their talk as more intimate and more self-disclosing. Male friends, on the other hand, prefer to do things together other than ``just talking.'' They share activities, such as sports, where their attention is focused on the same goals but not on one another.