Who holds the most power in a relationship?
A male friend of mine recently asked me who I think holds the most power in a romantic relationship. After giving it some careful thought, I told him that I believe the power is always with the man. In response, he replied that he thinks women are the ones who rule the relationship. After discussing this with some other friends, I found that women mostly agreed men are the dominant ones and men thought the opposite. In an ideal world, the power in romantic relationships would be equal. Here’s why I think men are the ones who “wear the pants” in the dating game.
The initial meeting
It’s not absolutely true that women never make the first move when it comes to getting a date. However, we do like to be approached. The problem with this is, it is then the man who gets to choose which lady out of all those in his presence will be lucky enough to catch his attention. It is within his power to decide whether or not we return home with his number stored on our cell phone.
Waiting for the call
It has always been considered a little desperate for a woman to call first. The downside of this is that we are then stuck waiting for the phone to ring. Sure, we could take the power back by dialing his number, but men are easily scared off by girls who seem to be coming on too strong. This means it is him who decides whether or not a second date is on the cards.
Making important decisions
In many relationships, the man will often earn the most money for the household. Even if you are contributing, it can feel as if that gives your man an extra level of power. Ideally, important decisions should be made together but when he is the main breadwinner, he has that little bit of extra say in the final outcome.
It’s just what is expected
Even in modern times, men are still viewed as being the head of the household. I can almost hear feminists screaming that that isn’t how it should be, and I agree completely. But old-fashioned values still exist for a lot of people. No matter how much times have changed, there is still a certain level of belief that the man is always the one who holds the most power in a relationship.
The views on who is really in charge of a relationship vary from person to person. In a well-balanced relationship, there should be no need for either party to be in control but ultimately, someone always holds more power.
