Ugh, this may not be a popular opinion and I’m old so maybe the younger generations have improved on this but……
Women are taught to view other women as competition. For the good guy, the job, the promotion, the attention. A lot of women, in my experience, aren’t that great at being friendly, in a genuine way, with other women. A few besties, maybe. Who has a better marriage, better boyfriend, better kids. Who is a better mom, a better daughter.
Best thing I ever did is get sick of it. For the last decade or so, I started looking for women to support. I still often meet competitive women, but I’ve been there and had that mindset myself. I know they are just trying to work in the world the way that they are taught…..and the way it often is. So I don’t worry when I bump into that and don’t judge. But when I meet another woman who doesn’t play that game, it’s amazing how much we accomplish together. I now have several female friends and none of them play that game. It’s great!