Women Share 30 Things About Men That They Previously Got Wrong About Them

Bored Panda reached out to redditor from Brazil, Much_Description690, who kindly agreed to share the inspiration that encouraged him to start this discussion online.

He told us that the idea came from other posts about the differences and misconceptions about men and women, so he thought he would give it a go as well and learn more about it.

What he wasn't expecting was the interest his question attracted. "I just wanted to add that it's just crazy that a post I was expecting a maximum of 300 upvotes, managed to get 4.1k upvotes, have videos about it, and also a publication in an online magazine."

If he were in a woman's shoes, he would probably wonder about the male anatomy too, as many of them voiced their misconceptions about it in the comments.

When asked how these false facts about men might affect them, he told us that the ones about their biological nature aren't as harmful, as it's something that can be learned naturally or in classes on the subject. However, comments about men having anger issues, and not knowing how to cook or be organized may be off-putting, especially to women.

He concluded, "Misconceptions affect men and women. Bad people exist, bad men exist, bad women exist, and I think everyone can understand that not all people are the same, I know some people are affected by trauma, but everyone should take their time, and meet people of all genders without preconceptions."

After reading several entries (or from just being alive), it’s evident that men are seen in society as being the stronger, self-sufficient, tougher, and overall less emotional gender.

There’s even an existing construct called “Man Box,” which provides a list of behaviors that are traditionally expected from boys and men, like being dominant, resilient, and heterosexual.

In order to adhere to them, the male gender is implicitly and explicitly discouraged from being emotional, vulnerable, or “girly” because such behaviors aren’t in the “Man Box” and therefore are unacceptable. And if you don’t fit in that box, you can’t be a “real” man, which might cause males to struggle to be accepted in society.

However, a bigger issue we should start addressing is what the future of masculinity looks like, further leading to the question of what kinds of men we want the little boys to become.

As Gary Barker, CEO of Equimundo Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, noted in Forbes, we have already started to rewrite a new world for girls, promising them strength and leadership, but we haven’t done this for boys. As a result, many men are confused about what modern manhood is about, which discourages them from finding this out.

Perhaps we need to stop seeing gender roles as a threat and instead focus on what is working and what no longer is. Some stereotypes can hold both men and women back and impact their mental health. The American Psychological Association has found that men who conform to the ideals of traditional masculinity are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, engage in heavy drinking, and even commit suicide. 

Barker added, “Most boys and men are aching not for things to stay the same, but for a new script. A script that includes being emotionally connected; being equal caregivers; supporting full equality in the workplace; supporting full equality for individuals of all sexual orientations and gender identities, and being able to ask for help when they need it.”

In reality, this is not a man’s or a woman’s issue; it’s everyone's, as equality benefits us all. It helps us to thrive, and it’s our responsibility to start that change and free our society from harmful stereotypes.