Women are often viewed as more romantic than men in television and film, but new research is showing men tend to be more focused on entering into a romantic relationship.
In romantic comedies, single women are usually portrayed as being more unhappy with their singlehood than men– think beloved characters like Bridget Jones. The same is true for reading material, as women’s magazines focus more on romantic relationships than the content in those targeted at men.
Nevertheless, research carried out by the Humboldt University of Berlin, appears to dispute this gender stereotype.
The findings show that, relative to women, men expect and receive greater lifestyle benefits from entering a romantic relationship, and they are more likely to take break-ups worse.
Men in a heterosexual relationship are far more likely to say “I love you” before women.
Researchers propose that the reason for this involves differences in how men and women navigate social networks and fulfill their emotional needs.
Analysing findings from more than 50 scientific studies on gender differences in heterosexual relationships, the data showed steady relationships are psychologically more important for men than women.
“Men apparently tend to be more focused on entering into steady relationships. Moreover, the well-being and health of men benefit more from such relationships than women. Even the life expectancy of men is more strongly associated with being in a steady relationship than that of women,” says Iris Wahring, lead author of the study.
Researchers also found men are less likely to initiate a break-up when in a relationship, and they’re more likely to experience loneliness after a break-up.
“We know from numerous studies that women typically receive more emotional support from their social environment than men. Therefore, heterosexual men are more dependent on their partners to fulfil their emotional needs than heterosexual women,” said Wahring.
Men have also reported feeling less well during singlehood, to the point that they have an increased risk of suicide relative to women.
While the study’s findings are based exclusively on heterosexual relationships, the researchers say there’s opportunity for future studies to compare the specific differences between men and women in homosexual relationships to gain greater insights.
The same is true for different cultures, as this latest study focuses on Western industrialised countries.
“For all people, the sharing of intimacy and emotional support is essential to positive personal and interpersonal outcomes. If societies develop and evolve so that roles in social life become less gender-specific, we hope that men will be able to more openly express their emotions and show their vulnerabilities,” the researchers said.