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I think the biggest difference is male aggression toward women is usually physical while female aggression towards men is usually social, most notably attempted social ostracization. Women attack men's social bonds in ways that men don't attack women's, thus leading to this asymmetry.
True. In the years since I’ve discovered that when online dating, I get posted on private Facebook groups for women. My ex then shows up to talk mad shit including completely fabricating scenarios that didn’t happen. Social ostracization in action.
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There's also the fact that women are better about maintaining relationships, planning group outings, etc., so that she usually "gets" most of their mutual friends in the break up (Managing the social calendar is traditionally the woman's domain in a relationship). Most of them were probably her friends first anyway, since she was more likely to maintain a large group of friends after leaving school.
Because men tend to have fewer close friends and recieve less emotional support in general than women, break ups also tend to be more traumatic. It makes sense men associate being single with loneliness more than women. If you're a stereotypical man who has oursourced the work of maintaining his social life to his wife for a decade, single life is going to be a lot more lonely for you than for her.
Part of me thinks there should be such a thing as social/emotional alimony. Shared friendships are essentially a valuable and unrecognized marital asset, regardless of who "earned" them.
I love how we frame women controlling their partners' social lives as a burden while when men do it to their partners it is framed as abuse.
If a woman was happy with outsourcing the work of maintaining her social life to her husband, then most people wouldn't call that abuse.
Isn't it amazing how "happy" people can be when they do what their abuser wants rather than defying them?
I am not sure what you mean by this. Can you state it clearly please?
Men submit to their partner's control over their social lives to keep the peace. "Happy wife, happy life". They are "happy" not because they are grateful their wives are taking on this "burden" for them, but because submitting to their wives' control in this regard avoids conflict. Men are expected to give up their social lives and prioritize their wives.
Oh is that so? It's the first time I am hearing this view. I thought the typical view is that men don't put as much effort into socialisation since they are not raised to do that and their social lives are enriched by their female partners, so they are happy to have their wives handle all the busy work required like doing all the planning, etc. I thought "happy wife, happy life" was a saying for other minor disagreements. I know that I certainly will be happy to let someone else put the effort in for me as someone who doesn't socialise much.
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