I wonder how/why and when the practice of women walking arm in arm started and then why did it stop? There are many old movies and photos from the 30s and 40s and maybe 50s, that show women and teenage girls walking arm in arm down the street while they’re shopping, etc. I see it also in movies set in the 1800s. I’ve never seen that done in my lifetime (unless it’s a woman helping an elderly woman) nor have I ever done it. It seems that it came to a screeching halt at some point.
In countries like Iraq isn’t it common for men to hold hands while walking and talking, is that also true for the women in such countries?
Stop? Not here it hasn’t. Nor has the practice of a man walking arm-in-arm or holding hands with another man.
Really? Where do you live?
Beijing. I saw the same when I lived in Korea and Japan.
Yes, it’s very common in that part of the world. I’ve learned to not be offended by being touched. Women do not socialize publicly in Arab countries, only behind closed doors where men don’t go. My wife told me women there are very intimate when together.
People need intimacy to flourish, and tend to gravitate to whatever form is socially acceptable.