Can there be friendship between a man and a woman?

[Pciuc]

I am a woman and my other half has a friend (single woman) who he has introduced me to at the beginning of our relationship. He has been very open and assured me that nothing ever happened and there would never be anything there as they are not attracted to each other.
I do not have male friends and never encoutered something like this in past relationships.
I do not want him to stop seeing her, I trust him but I do not want to be around, I want him to continue the friendship but far from my sight( avoident I know, but just because I am fearful of misreading something or getting hurt).
What does everyone things? Can there be a friendship between a man and a woman?
How can I explain to him the fact that I do not mind him seeing her but I do not want to be there without sounding crazy?

I know! I was agreeing with you!

☺️ I know

Yup. I have a few close male friends. And I’ve had the pleasure of getting to meet and know their wives and girlfriends over the years, many of whom are now also my closest friends.

I think there’s something special about relationships that could be romantic but aren’t. There’s a special sense of respect.

I have done. We had quite a serious issue a while back. I called my friend and she cancelled her meetings that afternoon to talk. Not once did she tell me what to do or make any judgements. She just talked it through and offered support. My wife also knew I was calling her.
Her husband turned up that night too to go to the pub and talk.
It has not affected their friendship with my wife either.
I've been there for them too when needed. As a shoulder to cry on or emergency childcare.

Having friends who are there for the tough times as well as the good is something to cherish regardless of gender.

Even now just this past weekend. She knew we were swamped with looking after a very unwell close relative so she took our son for the day and made her plans work around that.

Without knowing what the issue was I'm unable to comment further on how appropriate others may think this was as opposed to talking to your wife. @AnonymouseDad

One of my best friends is female, she is conventionally attractive although I am not sexually attracted to her in any way. She is like a sister to me and the thought of being anything more than friends actually grosses me out. When I was single we’d go out for dinner together, go to bars together , even went on holiday together but nothing has or will ever happen between us.

In my experience, a lot of my ex’s found it strange that I had female friends, but to me it’s no different to having a male friend. My sister is bi sexual - does that mean she isn’t allowed any friends?

@FurlaneNot at all, just normal men - guys from uni, work, hobbies. Men are heavily sexually driven and visually stimulated. Anyone who doesn’t understand this doesn’t understand male sexuality.

So what? I’m sexually driven and visually stimulated. Doesn’t mean I want to shag all the men I know. Some people are driven by emotional connection, doesn’t mean they want to shag all their friends they have this connection to. Some people will try it on of course, I’m just saying this hasn’t been my experience at all, or the experience of my friendship group.

In your situation OP, you say as they were friends before you met so you probably don’t need to change anything or meet up with her if you don’t want to. Would you meet up with your DH’s male friends? Why go the extra step for a female one.

Speaking as a male here - maybe i understand my sexuality. Yes, I am visually stimulated and sex is important to me. So I guess I tick those boxes.
My best friend I have known since we were 12-ish. She is by every sense of the word an attractive woman. Never once did it cross my mind to be intimate with her, to even fantasize about her, the thought itself makes me pull a face, because she's like a family member, and as such, I can't see in that light. It is all about the person.

@FurlaneOk, well, my experience has been the opposite. You were saying I must associate with odd people, but it may well be the other way around and it’s your friends that are the odd ones, because most heterosexual men will be attracted to a beautiful woman.

@exhaustDADI did say “most”, there will always be exceptions.

Yes, of course there can be friendship. Unless he looks like Brando.

I’m fairly sexually driven myself, but as @Furlane says, the world is full of men I have no interest in having sex with. And most people of either sex aren’t especially beautiful.

Many would much rather blame the woman. Her fault for associating with “odd men”. Her fault for being “arrogant”.

Men are responsible for 98% of sex crimes, and we constantly talk about the issue of male violence, misogyny, porn addictions and male entitlement, but god forbid we acknowledge that their attitude to women they know is often abhorrent.

Yes I've had a male friend for 25 years. Nothing has ever happened between us even when both single. Its just not a romantic relationship its a friendship. Hes one of my closest friends and has been there thru thick and thin.
Its not that hes objectively unattractive and im sure im not objectively unattractive to him.. its just theres no spark there at all. And we have very different opinions sometimes and are quite argumentative. Which is good natured as friends but id imagine would be a nightmare in a relationship.

I definitely do think men and women can be just fruends.
I'd honestly try abd get to know the friend at least a little though. You dont have to go to their meetings but invite her for dinner sometime.
I would think it odd if a partner had a close friend but never introduced them to their partner.

@SlightlyUnexpectedAre you a woman though? Because women have different attitudes to attraction and sex to men. For a start (most) women are a lot picker than (most) men. There might be lots of men you have no interest in having sex with, but if you’re an attractive woman there’s a high chance they’ll be interested in sex with you, even if they don’t act on it or show it. You don’t even need to be especially beautiful, if you have a body shape they’re attracted to that’s enough.

Absolutely. My best friend is a woman. We go for coffee. Cinema. Paddle boarding. Camping she’s is no different to my male friends

My best friend is male and I'd be gutted if his partner was like this towards me. Why not get to know her?

Can there be a friendship between a man and a woman?

Chill out FFS!

Can there be friendship with people who work together, meet others through their friendship groups, in the pub on a night out? Of course!

I'm sorry you feel so insecure OP.

For about the 4th time - NOBODY. NOT ONE SOUL would say not to acknowledge those horrible issues. The topic was friendship, not that it seems to matter.

Please remember that not everyone is heterosexual either.

A man can just as easily put the word on another man as can a woman. my former SIL always said there were plenty of married men in the closet with secret same sex relationships..

The topic is friendships with the opposite sex and has developed further into why some women choose not to have them.

My BF is male and we have been close friends for almost 40 years. There is v little I wouldn't tell him. We are both married (to other people) and nothing has ever happened between us.

When she has her underwear on in the cinema or not? Which would you suggest?

Absolutely! Maybe I’m a bit odd myself, but much rather have my version of odd friends to your ones!! You say ‘most’, but we both believe our sample size to cover ‘most’!