Buddies, Comrades, Couples, and Exes: Men’s Friendships with Women

Although popular culture contrasts men and women as opposites, cross-gender friendships between the sexes are thriving. I agree with other scholars that men’s friendships with women are increasing in number, value, and social acceptability in the United States. I argue that we should expand our contexts for understanding cross-gender friendships from dyads or paid bonds to include men and women comrades, coworkers, in-laws, exes, and members of other mixed groups