It’s not always easy to get through the work week with its pressing deadlines, long meetings and endless emails. Our jobs can make us feel isolated, especially when we’re working from home, which is why staying in touch with colleagues can be so important.

You don’t have to like everyone, but finding a co-worker you like can make a big difference in your career.

Almost half of women say they need close friends at work to have a successful career.

According to a LinkedIn survey, 42% of women said they need close friends at work, while only 34% of men said the same. 56% of women say they have made close friendships at work, compared to 50% of men.

It turns out that work friends do more than just make you laugh and give you a chance to vent about your coworkers’ annoying habits.

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Having work friends can be helpful for your career, especially if you work in a male-dominated industry where women are often passed over for promotions, even when their achievements are celebrated.

Catherine Fisher, career expert at LinkedIn, explained why friendships between female colleagues can be so powerful.

“We know that friendships in the workplace can help women feel seen and supported. But they can also help women expand their networks and improve their career advancement opportunities,” Fisher said.

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There’s something inherently valuable about having someone validate our experiences, and that’s a big selling point for work friends. Who else can you text when your boss is once again taking credit for your team’s project?

For working women, making friends is more than just social interaction. It’s a way to advance their careers.

Professional connections create opportunities. It’s understandable that female employees see their friendships at work as a way to get a foot in the door that might otherwise have closed to them.

Friendships are not the only relationships women rely on to advance in their careers.

46% of women say they need a mentor at work. 36% say they have a professional mentor.

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36% of men say they need a mentor, and only 29% say they have one. These lower numbers aren’t particularly surprising. The corporate world was created by men for men, meaning they need less help climbing the corporate ladder.

This also means that most workplaces do not have structures in place to support women when our role as primary caregiver comes into play.

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Women with children earn less over the course of their careers and pay the so-called “maternity tax,” while fathers benefit from the “paternity bonus” by earning more money.

Fisher noted, “Women’s careers are more heavily impacted by life events such as childcare and caregiving responsibilities, resulting in women being twice as likely as men to take career breaks.”

These women are often at a disadvantage when they return to work. Friends and mentors offer them the opportunity to network and discover opportunities they might otherwise miss.

By cultivating close relationships in the workplace, we can take our rightful place in a system that works against us.

This way we come together and insist that we get what we deserve, and that’s all.

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Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis, and all things related to the entertainment industry.