Voice in relationship: a study of friendship in young women
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Authors
Hexum, Angela L.
Issue Date
1994
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Cultural feminists (Baker Miller, 1976; Chodorow, 1978; Gilligan, 1982) have argued that women's lives are organized around a principle of connection to others. But recent studies (Brown & Gilligan, 1991; Stern, 1991; Rogers, 1993) have shown that, in adolescence, girls begin to sacrifice their "voices" in order to preserve relationships with others. This raises a serious concern about women's psychological well-being. This study examines whether women in their 20s are also sacrificing their voices in the service of a relationship. Six young, caucasian women were interviewed about their friendships with other women. The interviews were then transcribed and analyzed. The data indicate that women in their 20s are generally able to express their thoughts and feelings in relationships with other women. However, they do often silence their own voices when there is a threat of conflict arising between friends. Since anger is perceived by the participants as a threat to relationships, they held back their feelings to protect the friendship. Because the design of the study is ethnographic, the process of data collection and analysis was influenced by the subjective perceptions of the researcher.