{
  "id": 4621225,
  "title": "Where did they all go? Why women are losing friends",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/where-did-they-all-go-why-women-are-losing-friends",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T09:41:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/the-female-friendship-recession/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Women are struggling to maintain close friendships as their lives become increasingly busy with careers, children, relationships, and caregiving duties. This phenomenon has been dubbed the \"female friendship recession,\" although it remains an informal term. Psychologist Elize Thesner explains that it describes a real experience faced by many women, not a lack of skill in forming friendships. Women today often juggle multiple demanding roles, such as partner, mother, caregiver, and professional, all while facing high expectations to excel in each one. This increased responsibility leaves little time and emotional energy for genuine friendships.\n\nPretoria mom and communication professional Marilize Jacobs notes that South African women are experiencing this strain. The issue isn't merely poor time management; instead, it's a change in social conditions that once allowed for spontaneous friendships. Building infrastructure for friendships has become a challenge, leading to short catch-ups focused on updates rather than genuine conversation. Factors like long work hours, family responsibilities, traffic, distance, and security concerns contribute to this issue. Women may also avoid driving alone at night to visit friends, adding another layer of difficulty.\n\nLife stages further complicate friendships. Motherhood can shift priorities and availability, while women without children may feel excluded when friendships revolve around parenting. Personal relationships can consume time that would be spent with friends, and major life changes like divorce, bereavement, or being single can alter social dynamics. Thesner points out that midlife often brings a greater emphasis on authenticity, emotional depth, and reciprocity in relationships, making it harder to maintain those that feel one-sided or emotionally draining.\n\nWhile technology has made staying in touch easier, mere digital connections don't always translate to emotional closeness. Women may have numerous online contacts but still feel profoundly isolated. Meaningful connections go beyond surface-level interactions, encompassing genuine understanding, trust, and support. Loneliness isn't simply being alone; it's an emotional experience that can lead to stress, rumination, and decreased self-reliance.\n\nLosing a close female friendship can also result in a unique form of grief that society often overlooks. A friendship carries years of shared history, private knowledge, companionship, and emotional safety. Its loss disrupts the attachment, love, care, and sense of belonging that were once present, leading to genuine grief. Thesner suggests that repairing damaged friendships requires vulnerability, reciprocity, intentionality, consistency, trust, and a willingness to show up consistently.",
  "summary": "The female friendship recession is real for many women. A psychologist explains why close friendships fade and why loneliness can follow.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}