Could it be that men are just but hopeless romantics? Forget about those Afrocinemas, romantic movies we watch and novels we read. Since time immemorial they have insisted that men are not romantic. However, if the recent scientific research findings are anything to go by then men are more romantic. Surprisingly research suggests that the male attitude towards love is actually more romantic.
Romanticism, as defined by social psychologists, is an outlook on relationships that love should be the most important criterion in choosing a mate. People with a highly romantic view of love believe that their love will be perfect and that each of us has one only true love. Then this strikes a question, ‘Do men prefer to hide their romance essence from the public domain as the society suggests? Could what women purport to display as being romantic a mere antic to lure men?’ Furthermore, men are likely to experience love at first sight than women.
According to Steve, 28, majority of men are the ones who first let out the relationship proposal bombshell before a woman does that. “In most relationships, men will be the first to blow the whistle by uttering the three magic words, I love you” he says. He further adds that women most often play second fiddle in relationships. A research on gender differences found out that 48 percent of men claimed to have fallen in love at first sight while only 28 percent of women made such romantic claim. In addition, men compared to women tend to place a great emphasis on the importance of feeling passion in their relationship. Men have also been found to be happier than women when they hear ‘I love you’ for the first time in a relationship. Another finding focused on social factors, concluded that men have more freedom on who to choose as a soulmate while women are more affected by social factors.
According to Alice, a beautician in Bungoma town, it is not that men can afford to be less picky because of their limited parental investment, but rather because they have great economic freedom. “Men due to greater economic freedom are free to do anything when it comes to choosing their soulmates,” she says. She further adds that when women are in a position of lower economic status, they need to be practical in their mate choice and might favour someone with status and resources, rather than giving in to love at first sight. “This is why women who are lower economically will go for a mate who is financially stable even if they don’t love them,” she says.
