Reasons maintaining female friendships is so important

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If you already dedicate a lot of attention, time, and energy to your female friendships, then you might think you don’t need to be reminded of how important they are. But even then, it can feel nice to hear your efforts supported and encouraged. As for women who are letting your female friendships fall by the wayside—what are you doing? Female friends are not just there to act as surrogate significant others until you find a romantic one, or until your career takes off. Female friendships aren’t just meant to be building blocks or crutches. They can be those things (and often need to be) but they should also be ongoing dynamics that you tend to throughout your life, and prioritize just as much as (if not more than) your work or romantic relationship. Here are 15 reasons maintaining female friendships throughout your life is so important.

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Your kids will move out

If you have kids, they’ll move out one day, and that will be a shocking change. You could find yourself with another 40 years on this earth, staring you in the face, and missing the community you found in your busy household. But friends can be that.

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Your spouse may pass

It’s not nice to think about, but your spouse could pass away. Or, he could be very sick for some time. You will need the support of female friends more than ever if this happens.

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You could get a divorce

There is nothing more terrifyingly sad than getting a divorce and realizing you’ve ostracized all of your female friends, so you’re alone in this. Honestly, you’ll need good female friends with whom you can discuss your marriage and determine if you should even get a divorce.

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You need to discuss feminine health

You can talk to your partner about the weird smell coming from down there or the fact that this women’s multivitamin leaves you with acid reflux, but he won’t have much to say back.

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Who else will see that movie/travel there with you?

Men and women are, at large, interested in different things. Is there overlap? Of course! But can we all stop pretending that women don’t love period pieces? Or that men do? Come on now.

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Venting is good for your health

Women need to vent. To each other. About men. You can’t really vent to your male friends about men because they’ll take men’s side.

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They boost your self-esteem

Only women really know how to boost a woman’s self-esteem. Men can touch on a few subjects that make us feel better, but when one woman is down, her female friends know exactly what she needs to hear.

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They understand your position

If you want to tell yourself that men and women experience this life in the same way then you’re telling yourself a dangerous and useless lie. Women experience things that only women understand. Sometimes, you need to tell your story to a woman, who understands exactly how you felt at every turn of that story.

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Your partner can be too close to the issue

Sometimes your partner is just too close to the issue to discuss it with him—whatever that issue may be. It may be regarding pregnancy, sex, or something else that would make him so concerned that he couldn’t give you an objective opinion.

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Females communicate differently

Females communicate with logistics and emotions in mind. Men, though they mean well, can sometimes only address the practical parts of a problem, leaving women wanting a little more from the solution offered.

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Non-sexual affection is important

It’s important to have female friends because you need some affection that isn’t sexualized. If you’re a straight woman who only has male friends or only hangs with your boyfriend, you don’t know how warm and loving non-sexualized affection feels.

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Women have killer intuitions

We just do. And when we band together, we can basically predict the future. Okay not exactly, but we can help prevent some bad things from happening to one another.

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Women share more

We’re just a bit more comfortable than men sharing things—sharing intimate details about our sex and health and relationships and fears and doubts. And when we hang with women, they share too, so we feel safe sharing back.

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Women live longer

I’m just saying—women tend to live longer. So you can’t even rely on your male friends to keep you company in your old age.