Friendships between opposite genders are often judged or criticized unless the friendship began in elementary school or younger. It is often thought that men and women are only friends if they have underlying romantic feelings towards each other, especially during adolescence.
Though this stereotype can be true on some occasions, having friends of the opposite sex can provide a more diverse view on life. For example, they can push you outside your comfort zone more than your friends of the same gender. These friendships can also provide different advice on anything from fashion to relationships. It is important to have friends from different backgrounds including gender as they can provide alternate viewpoints on various life situations that you might not receive from friends of the same gender.
Friendships with girls often allow for more openness, as they are more comfortable discussing sensitive topics. This contrasts with a friendship with a guy in which conversations tend to be more blunt and lighthearted. Befriending someone of the opposite sex teaches you to expand your ideas of whom a good friend can be.
Having friendships with those of the opposite gender while being in a relationship can lead to feelings of jealousy, insecurity or a fear of their partner developing romantic feelings for their friend. It is important to establish boundaries with both friends and significant others. Boundaries can be set in the areas of communication, social media interaction, the amount of time spent together and physical touch. Boundaries need to be based on honesty and trust. If your friend or your partner cannot respect the boundaries that are set, that should be viewed as a sign that this friendship or relationship may not be a healthy one.
Overall, guys and girls are more similar than we assume, and those differences can be what provide a healthy and happy friendship. Qualities of a good friend like respect, good humor, dependability and standing up for one another can be found in both men and women. Therefore whom you should or should not be friends with should not be determined by gender. Male and female friendship can be completely platonic, and those friendships can be important in development stages of life.
