Gender, Affiliation and Friendship

Some gender differences have been found in affiliation and friendship patterns. Robert Hays and
Diana Oxley (1986) report that first-year university resident students’ social networks were
different in some respects; As compared to women, men included more females in their social
network. The exchange of informational and emotional support with friends was higher in
females. In terms of interactions with family members, males and females were alike, but within
their networks, females interacted more. The friendship pattern also varies with gender. Verbal
communication is an important element in female friendships; female friendships depend more
on verbal exchange. In case of male friendships, these evolve from shared activities (Hays, 1985).
Some studies have revealed that in interpersonal communication, males use less touching than
females.