According to a Census.gov report, 50% of adults are unmarried and 35% are women. Marriage stats have drop significantly over the past 60 years after one of the biggest movements in history, “The Women’s Rights Movement.” Since the years of equal rights, it paved the way for more freedom for women to choose and navigate life beyond home; the opportunities for women were endless. This gap in single and married women created a unique perspective on girlfriend relationships as more married and single woman are joining forces of friendship daily.
Over the years of being single and then being married, I have learned so much about being in each season of life. As a married woman over the past six years, my relationships with my friends have evolved in so many ways. We have experienced having children, marriages, career changes, growth, and loss.
We didn’t know exactly how to navigate these changes. For most of us, we have all experienced being single, then some of us chose to step into marriage. Society can sometimes leave an imprint that once you get married, you should only have married friends because single friends can’t relate to marriage. I often beg to differ. I have gained a great appreciation for why we both need each other.
The connections I’ve made with countless women, including my best friend, have been priceless. We inspire each other in each phase of our lives; we learned lessons that only true friendships can teach. We have been through the moments of not being as connected because of life events like new babies, marriage, or career changes that we couldn’t necessary articulate, but we knew it would pull us in a separate direction until we learned how to balance the newness. We understood and grew from each experience for the better.
What Do Single Women Gain from Married Women?
Most of my single friends share the same values. They value family, peace, freedom, love, wealth and friendships. From experience, my single friends usually desire to have much of what married women have and that is healthy relationships. They get a peek into the reality of what marriage and family looks like, how they function and move, and it provides an opportunity for them to build what they want by seeing it through their eyes on the frontline of our relationships. They get first class training before stepping into this life, if they desire it. Single women get the opportunity to see how impactful it is to have a partner support before every experiencing it.
Why Do Married Women need Single Women?
Married women need single women as they spark this energy or a married woman’s old life. Don’t let anyone tell you, that when you become a mom or partner that the transition from independence to human dependance is a heavy load to carry. You look back at times wondering where did the person you once know go; Who is she now? What is her interest? Where did time go and how did you get there?
When indeed you created this beautiful life, but it is a foreign land for what you haven’t known. It is like learning to ride a bike with training wheels all over again. It’s new, there’s no handbook to motherhood or marriage that gives you the step by step for success. When connecting with your friends you get to separate the duties and the task from the everyday list and to do’s! We are allowed to get the adventure of perceived freedom without obligation to anyone but self.
The constant pursuit of happiness from one transition of life to another is real. The single woman admires the married woman, and the married woman admires the single woman. That’s the cohesiveness that bridges the benefit of both worlds. It’s the reflection of who we are, and who you were. Embrace your sister relationships, they are priceless. They are the teachers to who you once were and are becoming.
Rather married or single here, are some reasons why female friendships are so important:
- Female friendships open up the pathway to feminine energy
- Female friendships offer honest and transparent feedback and support
- Female friendships extend life expectancy
- Female friendships help fight stress and boost mood
