Girls’ Night Out: The Role of Women‐Centered Friendship Groups in University Hookup Culture*

Abstract

There is a wealth of research that has addressed gender dynamics in hookup culture. Drawing on focus group interviews with undergraduate women at a mid-sized university in Canada, I examine the shared rituals, practices, and perceived risks within women-centered friendship groups during a typical "girls' night out." I confirm that undergraduate women experience many potential risks to their safety and well-being as they navigate the hookup scene and interact with undergraduate men. To try to mitigate those risks and attempt to enjoy their nights out, I find that undergraduate women spend significant portions of their evenings dedicated to women-centered bonding rituals and partying. I show that undergraduate women engage in gendered strategies within their friendship group to have fun, connect with desirable hookup partners, and try to keep their friends safe. By expanding the social scripts of their nights out in hookup culture, I show the types of gender selves that are produced within women-centered friendship groups and reveal the importance of women-centered friendship groups to the maintenance of hookup culture itself.

Lovers in a Digital Time

“…According to Bergstro ¨m, individuals aim to keep their sexual and social networks separate from one another. Although this is likely true for many people, dating app use-especially among college students-can become integrated into regular interpersonal habits among friends (Andrejek 2020). Nevertheless, online platforms do create more disembedded avenues for dating, while also redesigning the ''sexual sociability'' of young people (p. 65) and accelerating the dating process (p. 84).…”

“…Not to mention that women's increased options for intimate relations must still be negotiated under the threat of sexual violence (p. 156). Indeed, the risk and mystery of meeting someone from the internet has necessitated new group rituals to keep women safe and remind one another of online dangers (p. 158; see also Andrejek 2020). Evidently, then, the stereotype of female modesty and the specter of male violence coalesce to reproduce gender and sexual inequality in our mediated society.…”