To think alot of women don't have their 'girl gang'?

[SlB09]

Doom scrolling through social media, got me thinking, do most women have a 'girl gang'? Or is this saved for those who remained in the place they grew up/got lucky/other reasons or dissipates as you get older?

I have I handful of close women friends I've made along the way, none remain from school. But they are separate friends so to speak, no 'girl gang' and I think I only know one or two other females who have this type of friendship group (I'm 40). Sometimes wish I had it and other times happy as I am.

What are your experiences?

In the last 10 years I have a group of 4 of us who are very close. I see my best friend probably every other day. We go out as a group once a month but are pretty much in daily contact.

I have other friends outside of that group that I'm close with.

I'm single. I don't have a dh so maybe I value my friends more.
I wouldn't be alive without them they have kept me going through the toughest times of my life.

I have a small number of female friends, but most of them don't know each other as I met them in all sorts of different settings. The exception is my university friends - 40 years since we met, and still going strong - but that is a mixed group of men and women.
Actually, I'm quite relieved not to have a "girl gang" as I generally dislike all-female groups!

I'm in a group of 9 women from university and we meet up once a year for a weekend away. Somewhere in the uk.

I have 2 school friends and the 3 of us meet up once a month at each others houses.

I have a close friend from work. She refers to me as her best friend. I find it a tiny bit overwhelming.

Same. My 2 closest friends one of 46 years, the other of 39 years are both school friends and I'm only 50! I'm currently very ill in hospital and my 2 friends (neither of whom live local now) besides my family have been SO supportive. I love them both. I have plenty of friends from different areas of my life, who regularly check in on me but my 2 best and oldest friends are just that, the best. I generally think as you age you don't have "girl gangs". Also, we lose and gain friends as we go through life. I have had strong friendships at certain points iny life which naturally faded away through changes in. circumstances - college, uni, different workplaces etc. For example, I made a great group of mum friends through the nct and play sessions, baby massage etc. We did loads together and no falling out but we're not regularly in touch now as we all went in different circumstances, moved house and so on but we have a WhatsApp group one friend set up a few years ago and we all post updates on the kids about once a year!

I’m in my late 40s and have a girl gang, six of us. We meet twice a week, once for lunch and another time for evening drinks. Plus we see each other in gym classes or meet up for bike rides. We have an active WhatsApp group, one person went on holiday for a week and said there’d been 200 messages in a week!

I've never had a 'girl gang' and wouldn't want to be part of one. I've a handful of friends, but prefer seeing them one-to-one. I don't enjoy large groups.

I have a lot of friends but no “girl gang”. Some of those friends are very close with each other but I stick on the outside because it looks suffocating - they’re at each others houses most evenings and weekends, sometimes seeing each other multiple times a day. I couldn’t keep up!

I've got a group of girl friends ( in our 50s) we meet every two months then maybe 4-5 other girlfriends that I see every few weeks. One friend I see every week. You can't live your life, have kids, etc and have friends you see daily I don't think.

I have three separate girl gangs. One with ex school friends, one with ex nurse training colleagues and one from my last place of work before I retired. The first two I see three or four times a year and the last more frequently and for longer ie weekends away. I say gangs but each group is small. I love spending time with my female friends.

I have a core group of girlfriends. We wouldn't say "girl gang" because we're not twelve.

The group is a really important and supportive group of women (I'm the youngest at 45). We share a lot - marriage woes, parenting, illness, career highs and lows, general life, you get the gist - but we're not in each other's pockets.

We try to meet up as a group when we can, but we never post on social media when we do. We are pretty low key and love a crisps n wine night in someone's garden in the summer.

I grew up observing my mum and her own friendship group. They are all in their seventies now and are still going strong. They've supported each other through so much over a lifetime. Through the absolute darkest times and the absolute best. I'm so happy I have found similar friends and have the same support, love and laughter in my life.

All of my friendships are one on one. They all may know of each other but I simply don’t friend blend as I don’t think it works. I treasure my independent girl friends and have kept them individually for many, many years.

I have been lucky. I was always a bit of a misfit until I was studying for my A'levels. Then I found my tribe and 30 yrs later we are still all in touch. We live all over the UK but are still close and get together twice a year usually. Not many people I know have this so I consider myself very lucky.

I have 2 friends. Obviously I get on with people at work etc but they're not really my friends. I keep in touch with people from school but again not really friends. I have no contact with uni friends.

My 2 friends don't know each other.

My 2 friends also have about one other friend each who I have met but don't "know" and don't hang out with.

I know enough people to occasionally get invited to weddings, birthdays etc but I'm honestly shit at communicating. Out of sight out of mind for me! It always amazes me when people meet up outside of work or with people from past jobs.

At 46 I've realised the girl gang life is not for me and I'm ok with it!!

I have a group of friends from a time we all worked together. We are close and can turn to each other, but it’s possible to keep it from being that constantly on WhatsApp type thing that I would personally not enjoy. I have several friends from school. They aren’t a group, there are 3 of us who were part of a group of girl friends in the sixth form, original group was 6. All the others are individual friends who might know each other only on FB etc.

I’ve always had individual male friends and groups of friends made up of colleagues male and female plus or minus spouses. The latter is generally just social groups who enjoy nights out or walks/daytime outings. Individual male friends I find to be much better at no nonsense support, especially re work life. One particular colleague and friend has been a great help re my elderly parents passing away. Our experiences very similar.

I have a group of friends who all socialise together if that's what you mean? Five of us - we met when our children were at preschool together. This has been a relatively new development for me in adulthood though (40s) and not something I had really had since leaving Uni.

It's nice!

Same as yours, OP. Lovely close friends but not all friends together. My cousin, who only moved from her home town for university, then moved back, hasn't got a gang either.

I don't. I never have, really, at least not since I was about 16.

My closest friends who I keep in contact with long term don't even know one another.

I've been in a few cliques but I'm always more of a chorus line member, never one of the starring roles. I stay slightly on the periphery, dip in and out and I don't think I am particularly missed if I'm not there. It suits me, I don't think I could stand doing everything with the same three or four people for years on end. I get bored and I need my space.

I have no friends from my childhood, high school or uni. Or my first 30 years of my working life. I've got 2 IRL women friends from one employer and a gay friend too (bit the same in my eyes). But the rest of my gang I've met online and they're the sort you can ask just about anything. They'll call you out when you're being stupid and back you up when you need support. Out of quite a few I've met maybe 15 in total in part because some of them live half way around the world. But they are great. Actually I only know about MN because of them.

Same. I think it’s quite common. I would like more friends/good people in my life, but I can’t imagine anything worse than a tight little group of women, with all the bitchiness, jealousy and backstabbing that inevitably brings. I’m pretty sceptical that such groups even exist. And if they do, how long is it before they fall out?

No, I have 2 or 3 close-ish female mates, but from different parts of my life, they're don't know each other. I've never had a 'typical' close, confiding female relationship - friends are more people I have fun with rather than soul mates who help each other out. I have family for that, but I do regret a bit not having a friend like that.

Anyone want to be my friend , I'm 53 , live in the North, like Reading ,drawing , I have a challenging job, sometimes I drink too much wine .
Seriously how do you make freinds at our age

I have a few. I have one from running club, one from the gym, one from school and one from work. I also have a group of school mum friends but not as close to these as the others.

Fuck knows.

I almost went to a walking group for women on their own this morning. Felt that was a bit sad though maybe. Absolutely sick of going for walks to fill my time tbh.

Nope. There have been lots of threads about this over the years and it seems it's not the norm for people to have a group of friends since school although I know people who do have this. I have a good group of friends now tbh at I've met through various things most since being a mum.

Loads of acquaintances but no big gang of friends.