Naturally, men and women have been created differently from one another and tend to have different pressures and expectations from the civilizations they live in. These biological and social factors create different mindsets in men and women when it comes to dating, affection and the priorities in their lives.
Evidently, not all men and women are the same, so there are anomalies and differences. There are a variety of factors, including someone’s cultural background, family life and influences in formative years that will change how someone approaches relationships and dating. It is key to remember that everyone is an individual and to get to know them on a deeper level than reducing them to a stereotype or basic gender-orientated perception.
Developmental Differences Between Boys and Girls
Understanding in what areas girls and boys succeed and develop in early life can indicate what kinds of differences you can expect from men and women in relationships. Our early life deeply impacts the way we think and, much later in life, how we approach relationships with one another: both romantically and platonically.
Boys
- Cognitively have better visual-spatial navigation, which makes them better with tasks such as jigsaws.
- This biological difference means they engage better with tasks such as: pushing trucks around, imagining how different objects look when rotated and moved, a better understanding of 2D and 3D space.
- Boys tend to be more task-orientated and activity focused on both their independent time and within relationships.
- May tend to be more competitive in activities with one another and think about how something can be done better or in the best way possible.
- Emotional expression may be harder dependent on their family/cultural background as it can be considered unmanly to communicate how they’re feeling and thinking emotionally.
Girls
- At a younger age, they have greater verbal abilities, which makes them better with communication tasks.
- These verbal abilities make girls more inclined to play with dolls, create games based around conversation and take on more nurturing roles even from a young age.
- As girls get older, this doesn’t change. Friendships are formed upon bonds created through communicative tasks such as sharing secrets, unveiling their thoughts and feelings to one another, and their dreams for the future.
- Being in a culture that places a lot of emphasis on looks can create a lot of anxiety surrounding physical appearance for girls. There may be a deep concern with these issues and a need to feel accepted and loved through their physicality.
5 Main Differences Between a Man and a Woman
These basic developmental and cultural influences have a strong subconscious effect on the way men and women interact relationally. Understanding these influences and differences can make dating much easier as you can understand the thinking behind the actions and contemplate what your partner may need based on these factors.
- Men feel loved when they are shown respect, and women are loved through feeling cherished. This tends to mean that men know they are loved when they are shown to be strong, reliable and capable, whereas women feel the greatest amount of love through affection, knowing their partner thinks of them and that their man has deep feelings for them.
- Women will want to converse a lot about their feelings and thoughts within a relationship, and this can be harder for men. That doesn’t mean it is impossible but requires patience on the woman’s part to give him space and understanding he needs to express himself and be vulnerable.
- Men may prioritize tasks that they have to do and being on hand for others. On the other hand, women will want to prioritize time to chat and connect with people, meaning she will want to spend one-to-one time with her man, whereas he may feel most useful by doing tasks for her.
- Men want to be providers financially and through practical matters. It can come across as uncaring to women who want to show their love through taking care of someone and nurturing them. Try to understand that this is his way of creating a loving and caring environment for you but also be honest when you want affection.
- Men are constantly told that they need to have it together and may need to feel they have to put on a face. Help him by being that person he can turn to and be vulnerable with.