Attachment, Sex, and Gender Roles in Friendship

Popular culture seems to suggest that men's friendships and women's friendships are very different from each other. The study reported here focused on differentiating between biological sex and socialized gender roles in how friendships are maintained. An attachment theory perspective was used. 155 college students filled out a survey. Results indicated significant sex and gender differences in attachment, with men more likely to be dismissive than women; women more likely to be fearful avoidant than men; feminine people more likely to be secure or preoccupied than dismissive; and masculine people more likely to be secure or dismissive than preoccupied. These results suggest that masculinity is not the same as being male, and femininity is not the same as being female. There were sex differences in friendship maintenance, with women engaging in three out of the four activities more than men. Finally, androgynous people were more likely to engage in friendship maintenance than were either masculine or feminine people.