To understand the struggles women deal with every day you must be a woman. No matter how hard we try to explain some challenges we face, men will never comprehend them because they live in a completely different world.
A world that is tailored to them and their needs. Although women have more rights than before, we’re still not treated equally or with the level of respect we deserve.
Unfortunately, we are still far away from being recognized as equal to our male counterparts. And this is not even the only problem we deal with on a daily basis.
However, men wanting to learn more about our struggles, and being ready to listen and take us seriously can be a big step towards creating a better, more understanding society.
Chris Perry wanted to find out more about the challenges women face in his post on Threads which got over 1,000 comments! Women had a lot to say and this is what they wrote.
1. Complex menstrual cycle and period pain
If men only knew more about our biology, they would understand us better for sure. Women deal with so many different problems related to their period but we are always told we overreact.
I would love to see men having periods and how they would endure excruciating pain while still having to go to work and do everything they usually do. We surely can’t change anything about women having periods, but we can definitely strive to make this experience easier for them.
2. Unequal opportunities and rights
We have to do so much more to get even half of the recognition and praise men get for the same things or even less.
It’s so frustrating to deal with the disparity in the workplace and try to prove your worth over and over again. It’s no wonder men always want to have kids while women are less sure about it. If I didn’t have to give up my whole life for a child, I would love to have one too!
3. Daily mental load and constant worry
This is universal for all women. I always found it funny and interesting how men are able to turn their minds completely off and simply don’t think about anything.
It would be so nice and relaxing to live like that at least for one day! Women are the ones who must think about everyone’s needs all the time while no one cares about theirs. And the worst part is that no one even acknowledges the work we do!
4. Doing all the work yet not being appreciated
I remember I watched one interview someone did with kids and asked them who does what in their household. Every kid said that mom cooks, cleans, and takes care of the house, while their dad sits and watches TV. While some (men) found it funny, I think it’s actually sad.
Women are responsible for everything and men are not met with so many expectations. A great example of this is men who are praised when they take their kids somewhere with them or do the bare minimum. Women would never get a pat on the back for something like that.
5. Always hearing we have it easier
No matter how much we do or take into account all the obstacles we have, men will always say we have it easier. The thing about women is that we don’t complain as much as we should and that’s why everyone thinks we don’t have any problems.
The only expectation society has from men is that they act as providers and even that isn’t something that’s a thing like it used to be but they still manage to make themselves look like victims.
6. Pregnancy and birth
Ohh I could write a whole blog just about this struggle. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact we go through this experience and often don’t get any support from our partners or the fact someone thinks they can make decisions about our body.
It’s really devastating to see that men make decisions about something that has nothing to do with them. They are quick to bring laws regarding abortions but don’t do anything about much larger issues in the U.S.
7. Not being taken seriously
Imagine if women got a dollar every time they were mansplained something. We could create life on another planet and move there without men!
Men are always more trusted and respected no matter what they say. Women on the other hand need to do so much more to be taken seriously. I often think about how for example women get every diagnosis later in life just because they are always said they exaggerate their symptoms.
8. Underrepresentation in medical research
This is such a huge problem and I think people don’t even realize it. This is another reason why women often get diagnosed with something much later or even too late.
It’s because a diagnosis of different disorders is based on men’s symptoms and we obviously have much different physiology. When the first scientific experiments were taking place, it was shameful to explore women’s bodies so almost all scientific facts are based on men.
9. A world that revolves around men
Did you know that women are 73% more likely to get injured in a car crash just because they started using female crash dummies just recently?
Everything is tailored to men so please don’t ever say we have it easier than you. If you ever dealt with these similar problems, you would understand how hard it is to be a woman.
10. Constant fear for safety
We would love to be able to go out alone when it’s late, walk with our headphones blasting music, or do anything in public without having to be on a constant watch for danger.
That’s so exhausting and not fair. Women are not safe anywhere anymore and that’s our reality men will never understand. Considering how many assaults and femicides are there every day, I sometimes wonder how we get the courage to go out at all.
The struggles women deal with are rooted deeply in our society. However, if every man tries to be just a tiny bit more understanding and leaves all the prejudices and stereotypes behind, we would be able to create a more healthy environment for future generations.