College Women's Female Friendships: A Longitudinal View.

WOMEN college students; FEMALE friendship; FRIENDSHIP; HIGHER education & society; COGNITIVE development; YOUNG women; INTERPERSONAL communication; SOCIAL conditions of women

The article presents a longitudinal study of friendship between women college students, particularly examining the educative value of such friendships. Sororal friendships, the article notes, impacts cognitive development by giving women a greater sense of themselves and of those near them, as well as reasoning and decision making skills, and interpersonal skills. Other topics include the social aspects of women's development, life transitions such as motherhood, sex roles, self-authorship, minority women, and cognitive growth.