In this modern age of dating and romance, we all like to think that the men out there who we are going to be making connections with are all ‘woken up’ and in touch with their feelings when it comes to things like feminism and relationship equality. However, there are some behaviours that emasculate your man.
As much as we would like to believe that the old feelings of fragile masculinity are long behind us, the truth is that certain behaviours in certain situations can work to emasculate your man and get under his skin. It might seem old fashioned, but we still think that a guy wants to be in complete control of his ‘manliness’ in a relationship. Here are a few of the key behaviours that emasculate your man.
One of the biggest behaviours that emasculate your man is taking all the control. Though some guys like to joke about how their girlfriend ‘wears the pants’ in the relationship, you might want to be careful about being too overbearing in every single aspect of your partnership. If you start to be become too controlling and take most of his independence away, you will start to feel more like his mother than his lover, and no guy wants to suddenly realise that he has essentially been dating his mother all this time!
Taking control of a relationship can be detrimental to both partners. When one partner takes on a dominant role, it can lead to feelings of emasculation for the other partner. Emasculation is the process of making someone feel less masculine or dominant. This can lead to feelings of insecurity and resentment in the relationship.
The article mentions one of the biggest behaviors that can lead to emasculation in a relationship: taking all the control. When one partner takes control of every aspect of the relationship, it can make the other partner feel powerless and insignificant. This can lead to a toxic dynamic in the relationship, where one partner is always trying to control the other.
In addition to taking control, other behaviors that can emasculate a man include belittling him, criticizing him, and not respecting his opinion. These behaviors can be subtle and hard to detect, but they can have a significant impact on the relationship.
This isn’t something that you should ever change for the sake of it, it is purely a silly hang up that some guys still have. Whether they can help it or not, some boyfriends feel their masculinity is challenged and their traditional societal role as the breadwinner is eroded when their girlfriend ends up with a better job in a more powerful position, making more money than he does. Even though they too can benefit from your success, it doesn’t stop those age old gender stereotypes from popping up.
No guy likes it when he comes to realise that his girlfriend sees him as a personal project, a person to try to reform and turn into something else rather than loving him for who he really is. The way he sees it, he’s a grown man who has reached his full level of adulthood, and it can be very emasculating if you are constantly trying to make him change to fit some other ideal.
Even subtle hints at change, like comments on his wardrobe, can sting. Remember, relationships are built on mutual respect and acceptance. While personal growth is important, it must come from within. Coercing him into being someone he's not only fosters resentment and undermines the authentic connection you both share. Celebrate his unique quirks and qualities—it's this diversity that often drew you together in the first place. Encourage and support him in his own goals and changes he wishes to make, but don't be the architect of his identity. It's a partnership, not a pet project.
A common factor in a relationship that can lead to feelings of emasculation is when a girlfriend lays down the law and tries to stop her boyfriend from enjoying things that were once a part of his normal routine. Not letting him go out with his pals, for example, is a prime form of emasculation, because he then has to explain to his friends exactly why he cannot see them.
If your boyfriend feels like he is being treated like your own personal servant rather than an equal partner in a relationship, then there is a pretty good chance he is going to feel completely emasculated. Don’t be overly demanding to the point where he isn’t happy or comfortable anymore. That’s a recipe for romantic disaster.