A study conducted in 2018 on lesbian friendship revealed that many women find it difficult to maintain meaningful and supportive relationships due to various factors like distance, busy schedules, differences in personality, and lack of time. One of the major challenges faced by these women is the need for emotional support which often leads them to seek comfort from their partners rather than friends.
There are ethical dynamics involved in maintaining such friendships including honesty, trustworthiness, loyalty, commitment, and accountability.
Honesty is essential in sustaining a meaningful relationship since it helps build trust between friends. This means being open about one's feelings, thoughts, and desires without fear of judgement.
If a friend feels jealous or hurt by another friend's actions, she should express her feelings honestly without blaming or criticizing the other party. Trustworthiness involves keeping promises made to each other, respecting boundaries, and sharing confidential information. Loyalty entails standing up for your friend when necessary and supporting them through difficult times. It also involves celebrating each other's achievements and milestones.
Commitment is vital as it ensures both parties remain committed to the friendship even when things get tough. Both parties must be willing to work on the friendship and address any issues that may arise.
In addition to these dynamics, communication is crucial in sustaining lesbian friendships. It involves listening actively, empathy, non-judgmental attitude, and active participation in conversations. Listening actively requires giving full attention to what your friend is saying, asking clarifying questions, and paraphrasing to ensure you understand their point of view. Empathy involves putting oneself in another person's shoes and trying to see things from their perspective. Active participation in conversation includes asking follow-up questions, providing feedback and suggestions, and sharing experiences.
Having clear expectations about the nature of the friendship can help maintain its quality.
Setting limits on how often you meet or talk can prevent misunderstandings and disappointments. Clarifying boundaries such as not talking about exes or discussing personal matters like finances helps avoid unnecessary conflicts. By embracing these ethical dynamics, women can create strong bonds with one another based on mutual understanding and support.
What ethical dynamics are inherent in sustaining meaningful and supportive lesbian friendships?
Friendship is an important part of life for everyone and it's no different when you're a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Lesbians have their own unique set of challenges when it comes to building and maintaining strong relationships with other women. One major challenge is that many lesbians struggle with finding true friendship within their own communities due to homophobia, transphobia, and sexism.