Challenges of Men That Women Might Not Understand

Challenges of Men That Women Might Not Understand

(Ladies, if you think we’re rooting for the men here, we’ve posted one for how hard women have it as well!)

Women think that being a man is easy. Some women think that men are free from hard obligations and worries.

Nothing could be further from the truth. There are certainly advantages to being a man, but it’s not all sunshine, beef jerky, and rainbows. Being a man can have its challenges.

Women might fail to understand many of the challenges of being male, such as:

1. In this society, men seem to have to earn love. The purpose of a man in a relationship is largely utilitarian. Men can be loveable, but they aren’t loved unless they provide some additional value beyond their good looks, stunning personality, and rent.

● Some feel women, children, and pets can be loved just for being who they are. Men don’t always get a lot of mileage from following this strategy.

● Women don’t usually want to move downward from one guy to the next. It’s only onward and upward, and that seems mainly from a physical and/or financial perspective.

2. Men are expected to be tough. Guys do want to cry from time to time, but it’s frowned upon. Most women are less attracted to a man that cries with any regularity, and most men would rather set themselves on fire than be around a man that’s crying.

● Men are expected to handle every challenge life throws at them with ice water in their veins and a small smirk (just an expression, of course). And, they’re expected to do it without help. (think Clint Eastwood)

3. Many men are actually lonely. Most single men are alone a lot more than they want to be. Arguably, most married men are alone a lot less than they’d like to be. However, single guys are lonely a lot of the time, even if they won’t admit it. Many men don’t readily form friendships with other men.

4. Men are often criticized for one of their basic instincts. It’s not unusual for men to be attracted to younger, attractive women. In the “caveman” past, healthy, younger women were more likely to survive childbirth and have multiple children. The men that chose these women had the most children. That could have been witnessed by their sons and passed on through generations.

5. Men are criticized for taking care of their own needs. Men that put themselves first are considered selfish. Women that do the same, due to their years of nurturing and caring for other family, might be considered to be independent and strong.

● They always say, “Save the women and children first.” No one ever says to save the men first.

6. Men are often expected to make the first move romantically. Is this a blessing or a curse? Men have to put themselves out there and take the risk, but of course women have to take the risk of finding out later what kind of guy this is. We’ll call this one a draw.

7. Men rarely receive compliments. Women would be surprised by how infrequently men receive a genuine compliment. Give a sincere compliment and a big smile to a man and notice the confused look on his face. Some men are just not used to it. It may feel like a new pair of shoes that are a size too tight for him. Go ahead, try it and see…

Okay, so some of this is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but yes, there are some stereotypical pitfalls to being a man. But of course both men and women would benefit from understanding the challenges that the other gender faces. Life is challenging for everyone! And what would life be like if we truly understood and respected each other!

We can’t claim to be experts on men or women, but if you’ve read up to the end, we hope that gives you some bit of perspective.  To be fair, check out the blog post on how hard women have it as well…

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