In the cherished bonds of sisterhood, we find the fertile soil from which the seeds of progress take root and flourish. On the other side of the coin, simple acts like grabbing lunch with the girls, maintaining decades long school friendships, prioritizing time spent in each other’s company, there is a sea change of unlearning within women’s community spaces that romantic love is limited relative to the range one finds in friendship.
Women across the world live much of the same lives – often systematically disenfranchised or marginalized. From misogyny to gender inequality to violence to harassment but also from equal pay to legal rights – shared female experiences are powerful. One can posit that as women have access to better education, take bigger roles in their careers, or become financially independent from their small businesses, they are rethinking their stances on marriage and companionship. Mainstream media depicts female friendships as secondary to romantic relationships or they are stereotyped to sell the drama between women. Patriarchal storytelling paints all women as adversaries rather than allies – dark fairytales populated with evil stepmothers and wicked mothers-in-law.
