Women form tighter workplace friendships than men, study finds

Durham University research suggests women build larger, more closely connected office friendship groups while men are more likely to form selective one-to-one relationships

Women are more likely than men to form close-knit friendship groups at work, according to new research examining how relationships between colleagues develop.

A Durham University-led study found female employees were more likely to become friends with friends of existing friends, creating larger and more interconnected workplace groups.

Those relationships were also more likely to be reciprocated and to involve other women.

Men, by contrast, were less likely to develop friendships through existing connections and tended to form more selective one-to-one relationships with male colleagues.

Researchers said the difference suggested women placed greater emphasis on friendship itself, while men’s workplace relationships were more likely to be formed where they saw potential benefits to their goals.

The findings, published today, come from a longitudinal study involving almost 150 employees during their first ten months within an organisation.

Workers were questioned about the friendships they had formed at four points during that period, allowing researchers to track how their social networks developed over time.

The research was led by Andrew Parker, Professor in Leadership at Durham University Business School, alongside academics from William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business and Università della Svizzera Italiana.

The study was published in the journal Social Networks.

Professor Parker said: “Creating friendships at work is vital for employee morale, support and also productivity – with studies showing that people who have a close friendship at work are more likely to be engaged in their work, more productive and more innovative.”

Researchers found female employees were more likely to form tightly connected groups with other women, rather than a series of isolated relationships.

Male friendships were more likely to remain individual connections, with researchers suggesting men were more selective about whom they befriended and more likely to pursue relationships they believed could help them achieve their goals.

Professor Parker said: “However, our research shows that the impact of friendships at work differs when it comes to men and women.

“In fact, our research shows that female friendships are often contributing to the stability of an organization, whereas men’s friendships are more focused on their own benefits.”

The researchers said the different ways men and women form workplace relationships could also have implications for career progression and the gender pay gap.

They suggested women’s friendship groups may provide less access to networking opportunities, resources and influence, while more strategically formed male relationships could be more likely to result in preferential treatment.

The authors said employers should therefore create more opportunities for workers to build relationships across their organisations, giving employees a more equal chance to form connections that could lead to professional opportunities.

READ MORE: Minority women are more visible in the creative industries but still underrepresented in ownership. Minority women are increasingly visible in Europe’s image economy, but their authority to commission, own and profit from those images still lags far behind. The European’s Women, Work and Enterprise correspondent Elle Lorenzoni speaks to Blursday founder Sheena James to find out what closing the gap looks like.

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