Dispelling the Myth that Men Do Not Want Relationships

The general assumption is that men want to stay single and play the field, while women want to settle down and make babies. But these stereotypes no longer hold up. More women are concerned with independence these days, while men are finally getting interested in relationships - seems not too many of us are on the same page these days.

One recent study that I can't find any more showed the 52% of college men wanted more from a "hook up" than a one night stand, while only 50% of women felt the same way.

Now this study from Match.com finds men more interested in relationships, while women are more interested in their freedom and friendships - via Huffington Post, Men Want Marriage More Than Women, Study Finds:

In fact, whether we choose to believe it or not, men may actually be the ones cuddled in bed at home, counting down the days they have left to find their significant others.

As men are beginning to take more of a female role in relationships, wanting to settle down early, have children and start a life with another human being, it seems that more women are quick to abandon society's stereotype.

A recent Match.com survey, which interviewed 5,200 people ages 21 to over 65 who were neither married, engaged or in a committed relationship, concluded that men were more likely than women to fall in love at first sight, to want to start a family, and to start a relationship with someone of a different religion or ethnicity than their own. So, the myth that men suffer from a severe case of commitment-phobia may be healed by the fact that women are now yearning for self-sufficiency.

According to Time Magazine, "On the whole, fewer men wanted their own bank accounts, their own personal space, their own vacations or their nights out with their buddies than women did."

While in the past it was assumed that men were the moneymakers and women were the homebodies, the characters seem to be switching. Women, now more than ever, are more concerned for their independence, their success in the career realm, and are more fastidious in choosing a partner. ... So while a man may want to "put a ring on it," his girlfriend may rather just go to the Fifth Avenue Cartier and buy the ring herself.

Tags: men, women, relationships, stereotypes, Match.com, hook ups, independence, love at first sight, family, marriage, gender roles