“You know Freud died at 83 still asking one question, “What do women want?”,” Dr. Perkins (played by Bette Midler) tells Nick Marshall (played by Mel Gibson) in the film What Women Want. Well, it’s not that hard or complicated to figure out what women want in a relationship, you see. It’s not rocket science!
Back in 2000, Mel Gibson acquired this magical gift of being able to hear what women were thinking. While it did give us an insight into what they want, the truth is a lot has changed in the last two decades since Nick Marshall shocked himself with a hairdryer and fell into his bathtub unconscious. Women’s needs in a relationship have undergone a pretty massive change over the last 20 years.
So, what do women want in a relationship? What are the things women love? Well, allow us to help you understand what women need from men in a modern partnership.
5 Things Women Want In A Modern Relationship
There is no dating algorithm or rule book that can exactly predict the things women want in a relationship. But we know one thing for sure, women of today definitely don’t want a chauvinist Nick Marshall in their lives! We are so done with his kind, aren’t we ladies?
Women of today aren’t looking for a macho man who will come riding on a white horse like a knight in shining armor and protect them from all evil. They want someone who can show empathy, values their opinion, treats them as equals and gives them respect. We’ve made a list of 5 qualities that women appreciate in men.
1. Value their freedom and personal space
Being in a relationship doesn’t mean both partners have to be together all the time. It doesn’t mean that you let go of your personal life and alone time altogether. Spending time apart is a sign of a healthy partnership. A woman wants her man to value her personal space and give her the freedom to just be.
She wants to be able to spend some ‘me-time’ and engage in activities that she enjoys – whether it’s meeting friends and family, reading a book, starting a new project, indulging in her favorite hobby, going for a spa session or just spending some time all by herself doing nothing. She wants to prioritize herself as an individual and needs her man to respect and appreciate that.
Related Reading: 8 Signs Your Relationship Foundation Is Weak
2. Women want men to honestly communicate with them
The importance of communication in a relationship cannot be stressed enough. It is key to a happy, successful partnership. Honest and regular communication between partners brings them closer not just emotionally but also physically.
One of the things women want in a relationship is honest communication. They want men to be honest about their thoughts and feelings. Tell them how you feel. Talk like grown, mature adults. Don’t make them guess the emotional state you’re in. Keep an open line of communication.
3. Fight in a healthy way, don’t humiliate
Conflict is part and parcel of a relationship. But make sure to resolve it in a healthy, mature way without insulting or hurling hurtful jibes at each other. You should be able to respect each other even during a fight. Sarcastic remarks or any kind of abusive language is unacceptable.
What women need from men is to be emotionally mature enough to think rationally and not overreact to every situation. They like men who can act like grown-ups and resolve conflicts together through discussion instead of engaging in a screaming battle, playing the blame game, or walking away.
4. Treat her as an equal
What do women want in a relationship? An equal partnership. A woman wants her man to treat her like an equal and share responsibility. Respect her opinions and encourage her to follow her dreams and ambitions. Give the same importance to her goals as you give to yours.
Share responsibilities at home. It is as much your duty to take care of the daily chores as it is hers. Do the laundry, run errands, cook, wash the dishes – it’s called survival skills and should not be the responsibility of the woman only. Don’t make her feel silenced or inferior in the relationship.
Related Reading: 10 Signs To Tell You That He Loves You
5. Understand consent
A ‘no’ means no. One of the most important things women want in a relationship is for men to understand consent. For far too long, we’ve lived in a society where men refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer and believe that getting a girl to say ‘yes’ by pestering or stalking her is consent. But, not anymore.
A woman wants to feel safe when she is with her man. Consent is most important if you plan on getting physical with someone. Talk to your woman about what makes her comfortable in bed as you explore the sexual boundaries of your relationship. It’ll only make her love and appreciate you more.
6. Sense of humor is very attractive
One thing that all women find attractive is a good man with a fantastic sense of humor. You don’t have to be a comedian to steal your lady’s heart, but having a sharp wit and fun comebacks is certainly going to make it easier to charm her. We don’t say that you need to turn every situation into a joke, but being able to dish out as well as take a joke are some of the qualities of charming men.
Sense of humor is not just a sign of a confident man. Infact both men and women like their partners to possess a good sense of humor. After all who doesn’t want to laugh and have a partner who can make them see the funny side of sad situation?
Bono Tip: Get out of the friendzone by using witty remarks.
Indeed that’s how irresistible sense of humor is. So, what are you waiting for? Time to start reading all the knock- knock jokes and one liners you can get your hands on.
7. Women want stability
Now by stability, we don’t mean that you need to have a good sense of balance. No. Most women look for long term relationships. And for a relationship to last a long time, you need stability. Women desire men who are not only financially stable where they are capable of taking care of the family, they also want them to be emotionally and relationally stable. What is that emotional and relational stability, you wonder? Let me explain.
Emotional stability is where you are able to handle strong and intense emotions without you losing control. For example it is normal to be angry, but if you end up punching the wall everytime you get angry, that is being unstable emotionally. Similarly if you threaten to walk away from a relationship the moment things get tough, then that is a sign of relational instability.
What do women like? Women like a man who is reliable and supportive. Who will weather the bad days with as well as enjoy the good days. Someone who will not give up at the first sign of distress. This one of the essential qualities of a good man that women look for.
8. Emotional availability
Yes, I know I said women want a guy who is stable and is able to handle his emotions without flying off the handle. Unfortunately a lot of guys feel the only way to be emotionally stable is not feel emotions. In their heads they say things like “We are real men, nothing can hurt us. We are Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson!” Yeah…. Nope! that’s definitely not what a woman wants.
It is one thing to be able to handle emotions. Not feeling emotions is an entirely different issue. For a relationship to be healthy and to establish a deeper connection, a couple needs to emotionally available. And you cannot be emotionally available if you refuse to feel emotions entirely. It is ok to feel. It is important to feel. We are humans after all. What we need to be mindful of is how we react when we are under the influence of the said feelings. That is what needs to be controlled. One of the good qualities in a man is his ability to be aware of his feelings and being in control of his actions.
9. Women want to be accepted
It is safe to assume that both men and women want the same things in this regard. No matter if she is a high quality woman who is high maintenance or a woman who is easily pleased, she wants to be loved, respected and accepted for who she is. A woman deserves a man who will not constantly try to change or upgrade her.
It is one thing to want to uplift your partner and help them become a better version of themselves. But it is another thing entirely when your try to change the way they walk, talk, dress etc. Acts like these make a person feel bad about themselves. And no woman will ever feel comfortable being herself if you constantly try to change her.
10.
It’s not that hard to figure out what women need from men in a modern relationship. Every woman is different and so are her expectations. It requires time and effort. After all, a relationship is constant work. But if you pay just a little bit of attention to what your woman is trying to say, you’ll be able to figure out what makes her happy.
Make an effort to understand her and she’ll willingly go the extra mile for you. You definitely don’t need Nick Marshall’s superpowers for that!
