How Community Building Among Women Is Vital for Socialization

At any age, socialization and human connection — in such forms as building friendships, developing camaraderie, and gaining a sense of belonging — are key to our well-being, preventing feelings of loneliness and isolation. 

A recent AARP study focused on women age 60-plus to identify the effect social connections — defined as those with friends and acquaintances, outside of family — have on their well-being. The study finds that, on average, women 60-plus have 13 social connections, making creating and maintaining relationships a priority for this age group. 

A key component to socialization is making time to connect. Most of those surveyed rely on text messaging weekly or more often (81 percent) while others make it a priority to talk over the phone (62 percent), connect through social media (60 percent), or meet in person (59 percent). About half of those surveyed communicate via email. And while not as common, some use Facetime or other video chat platforms to connect. 

AARP launches Facebook group

For those choosing to communicate via social media, Facebook is the platform of choice. In 2022, AARP developed The Ethel Circle^SM, which emerged from AARP’s The Ethel® e-newsletter, a private Facebook group providing followers a safe space to converse about healthy aging and celebrate personal achievements. 

AARP later expanded The Ethel Facebook community to include the Ethel On-The-Go^SM private group, for those who love all things travel, and more than 100 private Ethel Gathering Groups^SM for women seeking to meet others in their local area. Membership now exceeds 135,000 women, with hundreds of new members joining weekly. 

Sentiment among the Ethel community members parallels those in the AARP study. The Ethel community members express eagerness to make meaningful connections with others at a similar life stage. Two-thirds of The Ethel Circle members visit the Facebook group daily, discussing a range of topics from recipes to advice on how to cope with the loss of a loved one. 

Top motivations for joining The Ethel Circle are to find a community of like-minded women (79 percent); learn something new (61 percent); share challenges and receive advice (59 percent); and to have fun (52 percent). Meanwhile, those joining the Ethel Gathering Groups do so to make new friends (89 percent); participate in group activities (84 percent); have fun (81 percent); and find a community of like-minded women (80 percent). 

Nearly 64 percent of the Ethel Gathering group members have met up with other members in their area and 47 percent say their local Ethel Gathering group has brought them real-life, in-person friendships. 

Socializing outside the home

A moderate portion of those 60-plus make time to interact with others outside the home to attend social functions, engage in physical or nonphysical activities, volunteer, or participate in other ways, the AARP study finds. However, those activities may diminish as we get older. For women 60-plus, 45 percent planned social events or gatherings; 40 percent interacted through hobbies or special interest groups like bridge or book clubs; 36 percent organized physical activities or classes; and 29 percent volunteered within the community. 

The majority of women surveyed use time with friends to catch up (95 percent), celebrate occasions or milestones (88 percent), and provide or receive support (89 percent).

Deep connections are vital to happiness, so it is no wonder that women 60-plus have a strong support system among friends (81 percent) and believe friends understand them well (92 percent). In fact, 91 percent say they are satisfied with the quality of their social connections. 

But social interaction doesn’t necessarily prevent loneliness. Some 34 percent say they still experience loneliness from time to time yet regular connection with friends has the potential to decrease the time spent feeling isolated. In fact, over two in five (43%) say they wish they had more social connections. And while three in five women 60-plus say it is easy to make friends as they get older, two in five (40 percent) say it can be difficult. 

Those who make time to meet friends and acquaintances in-person with some regularity are also more likely to say “my friends understand me well” (92 percent) and “I have a strong network of friends” (84 percent) as compared to those who do not engage with others as often. 

Connections matter

Making an effort to connect with friends in a variety of ways helps create quality, satisfying, and long-lasting relationships. With women 60-plus having an average of 13 friends, the need for expanding one’s social circle, regardless of how many friends they currently have, is important. 

But not all women find it easy to make new friends. Some women may benefit from additional opportunities to socially connect with others, through social media, virtual interactions, or face-to-face. Providing women with a platform like the Ethel Circle private Facebook group could lead to building more meaningful relationships, sharing experiences, and finding support within a community of like-minded women.

Methodology

AARP conducted two studies:

(1) An online survey was fielded in September 2024 among 1,696 The Ethel Circle, Ethel On-The-Go, and Ethel Gathering private Facebook group members. For more information, please contact Stephanie Childs at SChilds@aarp.org or Kadeem Thorpe at KThorpe@aarp.org. 

(2) An online survey was fielded in October 2024 among 1,400 women age 40 and older. For more information, please contact Lona Choi-Allum at LAllum@aarp.org. 

For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.