What is the role of the woman in a relationship? And what do men expect to be the role of a woman in a relationship?
These questions have been debated for centuries, and different people of different genders answer them differently.
Of course, there are some men who would expect you to take on the roles that women had in the past, and turn you into, well, pretty much their maid but fortunately there are not a lot of them around anymore.
So, what do men want in a relationship?
Most modern men, at least the ones who love the woman they’re with, will expect her to take on roles that don’t require her to diminish herself.
They need a companion, someone who will be ready to play their part in the relationship.
The role of ‘his maid’ isn’t as commonly expected as it was before.
Men have grown and realized that women are much more than what they gave them credit for in the past.
But what about the male and female roles in a relationship?
There are some gender roles that still exist and the interesting thing is that the gender role of a man and that of a woman serve the same purpose – taking care of your partner.
Men are expected to be protectors, while women are expected to be nurturers.
The male and female roles in a relationship have changed over time.
The role of the man used to be the provider as well, and it’s often thought that it still is.
However, so many women have a successful career and make more money than their man that it’s becoming a thing of the past.
On the other hand, the role of the protector or the stronger partner is still very much believed in.
No matter how strong women prove they are, all around the globe, it’s still believed that the man is the stronger half, while the woman is the prettier half.
Are these really the true male and female roles in a relationship?
We don’t need men to protect us anymore, but the role of the protector means that your man needs to keep you safe from harm.
He takes care of you by making you feel safe and protected, while you take care of him by showing him that you care.
Should that be expected in a relationship?
Well, you can look at it from different angles but either way you look at it, I think that we can come to the same conclusion; that the roles that were assigned in the past shouldn’t limit you.
No matter how much we try to explain that the roles of the protector and the nurturer (or the stronger half and the prettier half) aren’t bad, one thing is always true; not all women are the same, and not all men are the same.
What that means is that not all men are the type who even likes to be the protector, and not all women want to be nurturer.
It’s simply not who they are.
Don’t ever let society force you to be something you’re not, whether you’re a man or a woman.
So what is the true role of the woman in a relationship and what do men want in a relationship?
There are roles you should take on in a relationship to make it work and make your partner happy.
These are the only roles you should consider taking, and the only ones that today’s men should expect from you:
A Friend
When a man really loves you, he wants you to be his friend as well, and this is the first role of the woman in a relationship that most men expect when they plan on having something serious with you.
All this doesn’t mean that they don’t need their male friends, but they also know that the best relationships are built on the foundations of friendship.
Most importantly, they need someone they can confide in, tell all their secrets to, and be honest with, without worrying that it will cause jealousy or envy.
As a friend to your man, you need to be honest with him, and that’s what he expects of you the most.
He expects you to understand him, and he wants someone who will have late-night talks with him.
Men also need someone in front of whom they can be emotional, without a risk of being laughed at or ridiculed.
This is why I mentioned the gender role of the protector or the strong one in a relationship.
Since men are still expected to be the strong ones, they aren’t really comfortable with being vulnerable or emotional, especially in front of women.
Your man needs you to be his friend so that he can show you that he isn’t as strong as he makes himself seem.
If a man truly loves you, and you take on the role of his friend, he will share his deepest secrets and fears with you, he won’t be afraid of opening up to you and there will be times when he will want you to be his best buddy with whom he can watch a game or drink a beer.
This means he has become really comfortable with you and that he has started thinking of you as a part of his life besides just being his girlfriend.
After all, you don’t want to be a part of his love life without being a part of his whole life.
A Partner
Although most people think men like to be superior to their girlfriend or wife, this is not the case when they really fall in love. For them, the crucial role of the woman in a relationship is that of their partner.
We started at the beginning by discussing roles that existed in the past, and why they aren’t the ones you should take on, and now you’ll fully understand why.
When a guy plans on spending the rest of his life with you, he will want you two to walk shoulder to shoulder through it.
A real man doesn’t need someone inferior to him and doesn’t want a woman who will only serve him as an ego booster.
Instead, he wants someone whose opinions and attitudes he appreciates.
Although they will rarely admit it, men mostly fall for women who challenge them, women who demand respect and who will never allow a man to belittle them or try to put himself above them.
The truth is, the reason why the roles women had in the past, in relationships and otherwise, shouldn’t exist anymore isn’t just because women don’t want them; it’s because men don’t want women to take them on either.
A man who wants you to be his partner in a relationship wants you to be his partner in life as well.
He wants a woman who will contribute to the relationship in the same way and the same amount he does, financially, emotionally, and in every other way.
The truth is, men are tired of being the providers, the strong ones, the protectors…
They don’t want gender roles any more than we do, even those who aren’t really aware of it.
So, what do men want in a relationship? They want a partnership where both of you work toward the same goals in life.
For men, this partnership is something even more serious than a committed relationship, because it implies that the two of you are a team even if you disagree with each other from time to time.
In this kind of a relationship, things are even between you and him; it is never a relationship in which one person only gives, and the other one takes.
All the roles men had in the past seem to be mostly about their ego, but there are no ego issues in a partnership.
Men don’t just think of their ego anymore, because they have learned how much you can achieve when you simply set it aside.
A Supporter
Another crucial role of the woman in a relationship for every man is that of a supporter.
For men, appreciation and respect are important but what is even more important is that they always know you’ll have their back through every challenge life puts in front of you two.
Being in a relationship with someone doesn’t mean you’ll be there only when it’s easy because it means you’ll be there when things get tough.
No man wants to be with a woman who will just turn her back when there’s a problem.
All men want a woman who will always push them forward, improving them to be the best possible version of themselves, without trying to change them.
It is crucial for all men to know they are in a relationship with a woman who believes in them, even if they stop believing in themselves.
They want a woman who will give them wings, a woman who will always support their achievements and accomplishments.
Every man knows that he will be able to take on the world as long as he has the right woman by his side.
Although they appear to be the stronger gender, men are also very fragile and sensitive.
When they love you, they need to know that you are their number one supporter and fan, because that is what keeps them going in life.
You need to be his sanctuary and his rock, but it doesn’t mean that you should blindly agree with everything he says… and that brings us to the next role that men expect from the woman in a relationship…
An Adviser
A man who loves you will always need your opinion before making an important decision.
No matter how gender roles have been represented throughout history, men have often relied on women to help them with making decisions.
Your man knows that you care about his well-being as well as that you wouldn’t give him bad advice because his actions directly affect you and naturally, you only want the best for the two of you since you are in a relationship.
He knows that you will help him with the best possible advice, and men often need a female point of view.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that he’ll always listen to your advice, but he will always take it into consideration.
The role of the adviser leads us to again conclude that men don’t want women to be inferior to them.
A man wants to be with a woman whose thoughts and opinions he appreciates.
A Lover
Of course, you already know that the role of the lover is part of being in a romantic relationship.
However, what you might not know is that when men fall in love, they become the most sensitive and caring creatures.
That means that they need your affection more than they’re willing to admit.
Even if they sometimes don’t know it, men want you to show them little tokens of your love and affection, even if it is a casual touch, an occasional kiss, or just a hug.
Most of them won’t ever say it, but men also like to simply cuddle.
The worst thing those roles that men and women had before made us believe is that men don’t care about these things.
They made us believe that men are strong, cold, and reserved, and they still have the need to appear that way.
However, sometimes your man simply needs to put his head in your lap so that you can gently stroke his face and play with his hair.
Men love the feeling of being cuddled just as much as women do, but they don’t want to talk about it.
Many of them repress their feelings, as well as those needs, so they sometimes aren’t even aware of them.
Being cuddled is soothing and comforting, and a part of the role of his lover, which is often neglected.
In conclusion, forget about the roles of the nurturer, protector, provider, the strong one, or the pretty one and keep in mind the roles of a friend, partner, supporter, adviser, and lover because these are what most men expect to be the roles of the woman in a relationship.
Leave a comment