Men and Women: their Differences

Unfortunately, in marriage, sometimes the very differences that initially attracted you to your spouse are the ones that ultimately end up destroying your marriage. How can that be, you ask? The quick answer is that men and women differences – emotional, mental and physical - can become overwhelming obstacles to a happy marriage if you ignore or misunderstand them. But, these same differences, when appreciated and respected, can also lead to a more fulfilling and loving relationship.

If you are in a relationship where you feel misunderstood, are unable to communicate, or where your spouse doesn’t seem to care for your feelings, it may be that you do not fully understand essential men and women differences.

Mental and Emotional Differences between Men and Women

• Women are generally more ‘personal’ than men. They value people and feelings more, and spend more time building up deep relationships whereas men tend to remain apart from these things; they focus more on practicalities. Men relate to their situations and to others, but do not get as emotionally involved or allow their identities to become immersed in them. For example, if you were to relocate, it would generally be far more wrenching for a woman than for a man because she views the home as an extension of herself.
• Because of this emotional identification, a woman needs more time to adjust to change than a man does. For example, it may take her much longer to get used to the idea of relocating whereas a man will see the benefits immediately.
• Women tend to express their anger verbally while men tend to express it physically.

Physical Differences between Men and Women 

There are obvious men and women differences in this area, but other facts include:

• Females usually outlive males – they have better constitutions
• A woman’s metabolism is usually lower than a man’s
• Men and women have different skeletal structures
• Women have larger stomachs, appendixes and livers than men, but smaller lungs
• Women’s hormones are different from men’s and they menstruate, lactate and can get pregnant
• These hormonal differences influence behaviour and feelings
• Women’s blood contains more water and 20% fewer red cells.
• Men, in general, are 50% stronger than women
• Women are able to withstand higher temperatures better than men because their metabolism slows down less

Sexual Differences between Men and Women

• Generally, a woman’s sexual drive is related to her menstrual cycle while a man’s drive is constant.
• Women are stimulated by touch and romantic words, and are usually more attracted to a man’s personality than his looks. Men tend to focus on physical attraction.
• Women often need to prepare for sex – emotionally and mentally – whereas men need little or no preparation.

Intuitive Men and Women Differences

Many women have highly-developed perceptive skills and rely on them to make decisions. Men tend to rely on logical analysis to form decisions. Neither trait is bad - they are simply different ways of interacting with the world. If you learn to appreciate your spouse’s diversity, you will complement each other.

By considering these men and women differences, it becomes evident that - without a real effort - it is virtually impossible to understand one another. To add to the equation, not only are there clear men and women differences, each of us has a distinct personality type. See the article on Your Personality Type to discover more about the different types of personalities and how important they are to understand if you wish to know how to save a marriage.

To find out more about how to understand each better, see the Save My Marriage Today Premium Home Study Course. This course identifies specific cause and effects of problems and will help you turn your marriage around and create a more loving, fulfilling relationship.

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