Are Women Becoming the New Men? Why The Role Switch?
Are Women Becoming the New Men? Why The Role Switch?
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Whether you call it an outdated perspective or just society's way of looking at it, the "body count," as most of us call it today, causes a lot of heated debate between men and women. The "morality barometer" has always seemed to favor men and society subtly lauds men for having and getting involved with many women even simultaneously. That is why you will find many people using the analogy of "a lock being broken if you can open it with many keys," but a key that can open many locks is a "master key." As a man, you may even be admired for being an Alpha male!
However, the goalposts seem to change when women are involved. Having multiple men has always been deemed taboo by many conservative thinkers. It even amounts to promiscuity in their eyes and they are looked down upon. Just look around at the language still being popularly used today! A guy might be a ladies' man, stud, or a Casanova, but we all know what women get labeled as! The name is meant to shame women who do the same thing as men do.
A study published in Social Psychology Quarterly in 2009 established that "more numbers of sexual partners are positively correlated with boys' acceptance, but negatively correlated with girls' acceptance" among adolescents. As per Jeremy Staff and Derek Kreager, what this means is that boys and men are rewarded and praised for many heterosexual sexual contacts. In contrast, girls and women are stigmatized and derogated for similar behaviors. However, the roles seem to be changing if you discuss present-day situations. Women are becoming the new men! How so? Keep reading to discover more about this role reversal!
Perhaps this notion originated way back during evolution!
We would not be too misplaced to think that our evolutionary DNA could be to blame too. Since we were cavemen, to ensure the continuity of the species, men were programmed to have sex with numerous partners while women carried the pregnancy and focused on child-rearing.
What has forced more women to become polyamorous?
As human beings, we have intimacy and attention needs. But for many people, genuine, emotional intimacy can be hard to come by. The next best thing is physical intimacy and sex. This has contributed to a false stereotype that women who have casual sex have low self-esteem and need fixing, intervention, help, and other measures that seek to help them overcome this behavior that society frowns upon!
What do women have to say in their defense?
To shift the long-standing and misplaced narratives, women have continuously reiterated that having multiple partners does not mean they are irresponsible or lack high self-esteem. These women believe society should not view them as reckless because they are actually very level-headed. And why do they consider themselves highly level-headed? Having multiple partners is very demanding because they must observe high levels of respect for them. And not only that! The women must display utmost respect and high levels of communication with these multiple partners and be honest with them.
Polyamorous women believe the time is ripe for everyone to start removing the shame around their sexual preferences. They also believe they feel a strong sense of liberation when engaging in sex with multiple partners. Therefore, more people should be more accepting of their quest to fulfill their desires and pleasures. They see nothing wrong with that as long as it is between parties that are consenting adults and the practice does not harm others.
Women are indeed becoming the new men!
Today, it is common to find women focusing less on committed relationships. Many of them are increasingly okay with just having casual sex. Many others do not long for the drama associated with the relationships and the consistent worries of whether their relationships will work out or not. These millennial women live by the now popular M.O. dubbed "hooking up." Many men see this as women throwing a curve ball at them. Men have always considered themselves to be in the driving seat regarding relationships and all matters sex. However, millennial women are slowly taking over dating landscaping.
Dictated by the needs of men for the longest time, many women today associate sex with need-based physical connections! They can satisfy their desires at night and not make a great deal about it the following day. They are unapologetically not focused on getting in the good graces of men in the hopes of getting into a good relationship, a ring on their finger or even a baby. As long as they have fun and satisfy their sensual pleasures in the process, they are just okay! Essentially, they are on a mission to give men a dose of their own medicine and are actively leveling the playing field in the dating scene!
What can be attributed to their shifting mindsets?
Perhaps the biggest motivating factor has to be the increasing need to empower themselves more! Many more women are increasingly prioritizing their careers and spending a lot of energy building a great future. They are tied down less by the old notion of focusing more on cultivating relationships or beating their ticking biological clocks! It leaves very little room for the blossoming of great relationships and "meaningful" sexual experiences-at least in the eyes of the men and society.
Fewer women feel it is mandatory to be sexually and emotionally vulnerable. They don't feel the need to process sexual emotions and understand the feelings of a man. As much as it largely bruises men's egos, millennial women have mastered the art of finessing multiple men because it is less of a hassle!