The recession has turned British men into anti-social romantic cowards—sort of.
Erotic Review surveyed more than 500 people, and the results don’t look good for guys. Kate Copstick, owner of the Erotic Review and co-author of Sex and the Recession, said men are struggling with self esteem and that that’s “vital for a man to be on top form” in the bedroom.
She added:
We are seeing a real epidemic of anxiety related issues, which will be causing many a bedroom bust up. Women appear to be less than understanding—and refuse to lower their maintenance levels both financially and sexually. They don’t find “losers” attractive.
Is Copstick James May’s alter ego?
Many of the men surveyed admitted that, because of this lack of confidence in themselves and lack of understanding from women, they “were dreaming of taking on less problematic partners.”
Single male respondents also “said they were going out less often and were more likely to look for women on the Internet or at work.”
When asked to rate their own looks on a one-to-five scale, not one man gave himself a five, while eight percent of women awarded themselves the highest rating. When rating the attractiveness of their spouses, 45 percent of men gave their partner the highest rating, while only 15 percent of women did the same.
Admittedly, 500 people might not be the biggest sample size, and Erotic Review might not be the most reliable source, but I think there’s a sliver of truth here. The recession has made things harder for men in more ways than one. Whether or not it’s actually turned women into stone-cold, unromantic Medusae, I’m not so sure.
It’s called hypergamy…women are looking for higher status…bigger, better, badder.
Jed Diamond: “Its probably based on our evolutionary roots and built into the male and female psyches.” To me that sounds like a grossly oversimplified explanation, and is a real cop-out in my opinion. The traditions of our society still largely dictate that men breadwin, and that women (atleast since the 30s and the rise of advertising, cosmetics and fashion-media) should make themselves beautiful and attract a man. Since the 60s women’s rights and roles have evolved in the world of business. However old beliefs die hard, and it has resulted in two things – 1st) women feeling stretched to… Read more »
This is definitely not a scientific study or a statistically valid sample, but it does speak to some truths that many of us feel in our bones. There is a tendency of men to judge women based on their looks and for women to judge men based on their ability to make money. Not true for everyone, but valid in the majority of cases. Its probably based on our evolutionary roots and built into the male and female psyches. In my book, The Irritable Male Syndrome, I quoted social psychologist Mary Furlong who said, “Job loss will be a more… Read more »
I don’t care for this. A survey of men, asking them what they think women want from them is considered enlightening on what women actually want. Then a survey that asks about a very vague term “attractiveness” (which could mean physical or non-physical attractiveness depending on who is being surveyed), and this time the article’s author is guessing what it means women want. “My partner is unattractive” could mean a million things from “I guess he doesn’t look a certain way now that you ask me but I don’t care because looks are unimportant to me” to “Others find him… Read more »
Financial anxiety tends to make people cut themselves off from others in general. Studies show that the financially strapped not only go out and do fewer things that cost money, but they’re less likely to engage in social activities that cost nothing at all. The only thing being broke seems to make people do more of is watch television. People with financial issues have anxieties that make them likely to cut themselves off from all friends– not only sexual ones.