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15 Relationship Habits Women Get Away With But Men Would Be Called Misogynists for Doing

Updated on April 5, 2026 by TMM Staff · Dating & Confidence

A couple having a serious talk
©Timur Weber/pexels.com

People talk a lot about fairness and equality in relationships, but the reality is that not all behaviors in them are subjected to fair judgment. In fact, some things are usually dismissed, justified, and even completely accepted when women do them. But if the script was flipped and men did the same, then most women would immediately label them as misogynistic. It is fine and acceptable for women, but the moment a man tries to show them the mirror by imitating these actions, they object, get frustrated, and label them as intense red flags. Read on and learn about the actions that women indulge in in relationships that, if men did them, would likely ignite profound outrage right here.

Expecting Him to Pay for Everything

A handsome man is buying fruit from a vendor with a blurred background.
©Getty Images/Unsplash.com

Most women see men as the traditional providers in their relationships, the ones who burden the entire financial responsibility and provide for their partners’ well-being, no matter the physical and emotional tax it incurs on their part. If men were to make the same expectations and demands of women, they would immediately be called entitled or controlling.

Judging Him By HIs Income

A couple arguing while standing in a street.
©Curated lifestyle/Unsplash.com

Men are usually judged on the basis of how much they earn, and the respect they receive is commensurate with their income. Women do that blatantly and uninhibitedly, but if the roles were flipped, then they would be the ones who would quickly label men as shallow and superficial.

Controlling Who He Spends Time With

A man and a woman arguing while sitting on a couch.
©Getty Images/Unsplash.com

Many women tend to subtly control and oversee the people their men spend their time with. They discourage certain friendships and attempt to influence their social circle as well, all under the premise of protecting them and their relationships. However, if a man were to do the same, he would immediately be called controlling and chauvinistic.

Constantly Checking Up on Him

A woman holding a phone is standing in front of a huge window.
©Getty Images/Unsplash.com

Women frequently check up on men and send them incessant texts throughout the day, inquiring about where they are, what they are doing, urging them to send the corroborative photos, and so on. But when a man does that, he is called controlling and irreverent towards a woman’s privacy and boundaries.

Public Embarassment

A waiter pouring tea for a couple sitting in a restaurant.
©Alyssa Jane/Unsplash.com

Women can embarrass their men all they want in public and no one bats an eye. They can tease him, make jokes at his expense, and openly mock him in public without any qualms. But men can’t do that to women because if they did, they would be called disrespectful and apathetic by women and the society in general.

Emotional Support

A woman is sitting on a couch with a distant expression while a man in a turban sits behind her, gesturing toward her.
©Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels.com

Many men are expected to intently listen to their partners’ concerns, emotional consternation, and the issues that perturb them and accord emotional support freely. However, when men need the same level of understanding and emotional support, none is given to them, and they are instead expected to silently tough it out and endure the problems and stress they are experiencing “like a man.”

Ignoring His Need for Space

A man and a woman at a bar.
©Andrej Lišakov/Unsplash.com

Women are too quick to tell men to back off when they need their “Me” time. But they repeatedly intrude on men’s quality time and space, the ones they need to recharge by engaging in hobbies, meeting friends, and so on. Wanting closeness with your partner is natural, but when women dismiss a man’s need for downtime, then the relationship starts feeling suffocating and stifling to him.

Creating “Loyalty Tests”

A woman hugging her rude boyfriend from behind.
©Andres Hernandez/Unsplash.com

Women can set traps and engage in mind games to test their man’s fidelity and commitment, regardless of how much it damages their relationship by eroding trust and clarity within it. On the other hand, if a man were to do this, women would immediately call him a chauvinistic pig who didn’t trust her and walk away without a single glance. The worst part is, her social circle and society in general won’t hold her accountable for her indiscretion either.

Using Silence as a Weapon

An upset man is holding his forehead with his hand as his wife sits behind him with crossed arms while they sit on a couch.
©Getty Images/unsplash.com

When women weaponize silence and employ it to get their way and make their partner’s relent in the face of their demands, then this is tolerated, even dismissed as normal. However, a man who refuses to communicate when he feels disrespected or unacknowledged is called apathetic, cruel, and cold.

Criticizing His Looks or Physical Traits

A man and a woman posing for a picture.
©ohlamour studio/Unsplash.com

This might sound unbelievable, but many women are prone to mocking and criticizing men for their appearance and physical traits such as height, skin tone, body, voice, and so on, over which they have no control. They disparage them and expect men to take this lightly and brush off all of these derogatory remarks. However, if a man does that, then he becomes a misogynist, a chauvinist, and various other colorful expletives are hurled his way.

Expecting Him To Always Take the Lead

A couple standing on the beach beside the sea.
©Mathias Reding/unsplash.com

There are many women who want men to lead in everything, be it planning for dates, making decisions, and constantly piling on the expectations steadily. That creates sufficient pressure for men to perform, but they are expected to endure it silently and ensure they fulfill them by any means necessary. On the other hand, if a man were to make such expectations and demands of his partner, then she would have all the liberty in the world to brand him as lazy and apathetic for putting so much undesirable stress on her to perform.

Comparing Him to Other Men

The woman wearing a black shirt is looking at people standing in front of her.
©Daniel Radford/Unsplash.com

Women can temerariously and unapologetically compare their partners to other men like celebrities, exes, or even strangers they see on the street. But if a man were to compare his partner to another one, even teasingly or lightly, then he would be castigated on the spot and made to feel like the worst possible human being on the planet by her.

Withholding Affection to Make a Point

A man is lying in bed looking worried while a woman sleeps next to him with her back turned.
©Getty Images/Unsplash.com

Some women are wont to turn intimacy and love into tools that they can employ to gain leverage in their relationships. They don’t care if it damages the trust or the connection that exists between them and their partners. But if a man does it, then he is called cold, indifferent, and utterly callous by his partner.

Turning Every Argument into His Fault

A man and woman at a table.
©Jon Tyson/Unsplash.com

Women can escape accountability and shift all of the blame onto their partners or any other external factors and not be reproached for it. Men can’t do that at the risk of appearing like absolute cads, reprobates, and good-for-nothings who make their relationship feel chaotic and bereft of peace.

Expecting Him to “Just Know” What’s Wrong

A man and a woman are sitting, upset after having an argument.
©Curated Lifestyle/Unsplash.com

Women expect their men to be perspicacious mind readers who should know everything about what irks and nettles them in their relationships without any clear communication or hints. But men can’t do that at the risk of appearing insensitive, apathetic, and completely cold towards their partners.

Final Thoughts

A man and woman are sitting silently across from each other at a sunlit wooden table, both looking down.
©Getty Images/Unsplash.com

There are many women who act uprightly and scrupulously in their relationships, according the requisite level of respect, love, emotional safety, and understanding towards their partners. But that doesn’t negate the fact that there are many others who choose to remain negligent in this regard and don’t give these integral things freely and unconditionally in their relationships. Women can act like brats all they want, and no one would label them as misandrists, but if men were to do the same, then no such tolerance would be extended towards them.

Dating & Confidence

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About TMM Staff

The Modest Man staff writers are experts in men's lifestyle who love teaching guys how to live their best lives.

If an article is published under TMM Staff, that means multiple writers worked on it. For example, sometimes several of us have experience with a certain brand, so we collaborate to publish a more thorough review.

Or, if an article was originally written by one person, but then it was updated by someone else, we'll re-publish it under TMM Staff.

Remember: all of our articles (including those below) are written by real people with decades of combined experience in men's fashion and lifestyle topics.

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