Female Bonding - Overview

Overview

In ethology, a species is said to have female bonding if the females regularly form coalitions in which they mutually support each other, especially if such coalitions are used to attack other groups or individuals.

Female animals such as chimpanzees occasionally participate in raiding groups that kill others, but are normally a minority in a coalition that is composed mostly of males.

In the context of human relationships, female bonding is used to describe friendship between women, or the way in which women befriend each other. The expression is sometimes used synonymously with the word camaraderie. Friendships among women are often primarily based on emotional sharing, instead of shared activities and ambitions, as with men's friendship.