Most American women would rather quarantine with female friends than partners
Nearly half of the women polled said the coronavirus pandemic has brought them closer to their best female friend.
R&B group TLC wondered in song “What about your friends?” The rap trio Whodini asked in rhyme: “Friends — how many of us have them?”
The dictionary defines a friend as “a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.” One journalist wrote last summer that “we are all collectively living through uncharted times and stressful times, and this is when you need people to lean on.”
A new survey conducted by OnePoll commissioned by BloomsyBox revealed that more than half of all American women would rather be quarantined with their best friend during the coronavirus pandemic over a romantic partner.
More than 2,000 women were surveyed, a group who overwhelmingly responded that their friendships with other women were important to them. Nearly 25 percent called them “essential.”
Read More: Journalist Biba Adams on losing 3 family members to COVID: ‘They were not just numbers’
Nearly half of the women polled said the coronavirus pandemic has brought them closer to their best female friend. Additionally, almost half of the women maintained that their relationship with their bestie is better now than it was before the COVID-19 crisis began.
The survey didn’t just show that older friendships are important, although it revealed that the average American woman has known her BFF for an average of 12 years. Sixty percent of millennials reported that they developed an additional, new best-friendship with someone during the pandemic.
Read More: Gayle King’s daughter marries fiancé at Oprah’s home
The survey asked how their friendships provided them with support during the 2020 quarantine, and many responded that it was their friends who helped them pay bills, buy groceries, sent them care packages and provided emotional support.
Additionally, more than half of the respondents said they miss their bestie more than their family members. However, 55 percent also responded that their best friend is a family member, and most said they would be friends even if they weren’t relatives.
Read More: Fans ejected after heckling LeBron James at Lakers game
Experts have encouraged people to create and cultivate relationships through small pandemic pods, groups who are honest with each other about their interactions and health issues in order to keep each other safe and still maintain social bonds.
More than 10 percent of women surveyed said they “wouldn’t be here without” their best female friend.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!
The post Most American women would rather quarantine with female friends than partners appeared first on TheGrio.