People say that what love means to a woman is attention but to a man it’s respect.
I don’t exactly subscribe to that because I believe both parties require and deserve respect in the relationship.
However, I do agree that if a woman loses respect for her man, it can be a major issue.
If a woman loses respect for her man, we can agree on one thing – the respect was there before, and then it no longer is for some reason.
So we’re not dealing with a case of lack of respect from the get-go here.
This is a complicated situation in many ways.
Still, before we look into the nitty-gritty of it, I must mention that mutual respect is one of the critical ingredients for any relationship or marriage to thrive.
So, if one person has lost respect for the other, something is fundamentally wrong.
Let us start by looking at some of the reasons why this may happen.
When a woman loses respect for her man, it’s usually due to one or more of these reasons.
12 Reasons A Woman Loses Respect For Her Man
1. Unresolved issues
Unresolved issues and hidden resentments are like cancers that metastasize into many other negative things.
When there are constant issues in a relationship or conflicts that linger and stay unresolved for long, especially if the woman feels victimized, respect can gradually be eroded.
It’s always best to address matters that come up and not sweep them under the carpet because when they’re not discussed, they can take another form in the minds of both parties.
2. He’s irresponsible
There’s only so much even an incredibly patient woman can take.
No matter how much she loves and respects a man, if he keeps giving her reasons not to, that respect will vanish one day.
Irresponsibility is one of the major reasons why this happens in many relationships.
When men stop showing up and acting right, it does something to their woman, especially if they agree that the man is the leader in the relationship.
The relationship suffers if the leader fails to show up for his duties without any real reason.
A father who doesn’t care about the welfare of his children, does not take care of his wife, or never spends time with his family, or a boyfriend who is reckless and thoughtless.
Women are attracted to men who know how to hold things down, and they naturally respect such men.
So, if a man is not taking care of his responsibilities, he shouldn’t wonder why his woman no longer respects him.
3. Cheating and flirting
This is one of the most obvious reasons in the world, but just in case you didn’t know, let’s talk about it.
Cheating is a major problem in relationships and marriage, and even people who claim not to care if their partner cheats intrinsically do.
This is because nobody will feel okay knowing their partner is with someone else after professing love and commitment to them.
Cheating is a deal breaker for some women, and they will walk right out of the relationship if their man cheats on them.
Even for the percentage that stays back in the relationship, things will never remain the same, and one of the things that will change is respect.
A woman can lose respect for her man even for one cheating episode because she may not be able to get over the betrayal of trust.
She now sees him in a different light, and it completely washes out the respect she had for him.
Let’s not even talk about the men that are perpetual cheats, men who can’t keep their pants zipped.
Even if the women of such men stay, they may not regard them.
4. He’s broke
Let’s face it: sometimes, life can be pretty unfair to men.
The responsibilities and societal expectations on them are quite a lot.
Even if the man is not irresponsible, sometimes, life may not be “lifing” for him at that moment (meaning that life may not be going well).
When this happens to a man, his woman’s loyalty is tested.
She may unconsciously begin to see him as less of a person because he can’t pay the bills anymore.
It takes a lot of intentionality for even the most sincere woman to still respect her man in tough times like this.
What happens many times is that the woman gets frustrated and irritated and begins to disregard her man.
Maybe he doesn’t have any money or has some, but it’s just not enough.
It gets worse if the woman has more money than him.
Couples are meant to support and love each other even in hard times, especially when the person lacking behind is trying their best.
5. She’s met someone new
They say comparison is the thief of joy, and I couldn’t agree more.
You may be cherishing what you have until you see something else that appears more beautiful.
All of a sudden, what you have and used to cherish becomes worthless to you because it fades in comparison to your new interest.
This summarizes the situation for many women; they meet a new guy who seems way better than their man in many ways.
The new guy’s good qualities may just be perceived and not real because they’ve not known each other well enough, but they may also have exceptional qualities that their original man does not have.
Whatever the case, the fact is that his presence has reduced the worth of the main guy in her eyes.
If the woman is not careful, she may easily start disrespecting her man because of the new man she has met.
That is if she isn’t already cheating with the new guy, which is another possibility.
6. He’s too critical
I have an aunt who is one of the most toxic people I’ve ever met in my entire life.
I mean, there’s literally nothing you can do to please her.
No matter how much you help out when you’re at the house, try to be nice, or do all the good stuff, she just won’t be impressed, and she always complains about everything.
As time passed, I lost every ounce of respect I had for her, and all I do now is maintain a cordial relationship with her for the sake of family bonds, but I have zero liking or respect for her.
People who are overly critical and complain about everything are a pain in the butt.
They wear you out with their nagging, complaints, and criticisms.
If that person is someone’s man, they’re just going to make her life miserable because nothing the woman ever does will be right in his eyes.
This is one of the things that can make a woman lose her respect for her man.
At first, she may try to take his feedback and work on it, but with time, she may notice that there’s just no way forward, and he always has something negative to say.
At this point, her respect for him flies out of the window, and she couldn’t care less anymore.
7. Lack of values
Some women grew up under mothers or women who disrespect their men.
They were not taught respect for people and their partners, so they naturally just flowed in the direction of what they saw.
Initially, it may have looked as though they did have some form of respect for their man, but that’s because they were not presented with the opportunity to show their disrespect.
As time passes, their true behavior shows, and it is clear they do not have values.
This one is a problem of orientation and mindset.
8. Clash of interests
When there is a clash of interests, it can lead to disrespect.
Couples are not meant to agree on everything, but they should agree on the most important and foundational things.
A woman may lose respect for her man if he disagrees with what matters most to her.
Or if he trivializes the things that she prioritizes.
This sort of clash of interests can be a major issue.
9. She wants out
Let us be honest; sometimes, there is no reason.
The woman may just be tired of the relationship and want to leave, and instead of communicating that verbally, she chooses to express it through her actions.
She no longer sees a partner or potential partner in the man and just wants to leave the relationship.
This is not a healthy way to communicate when you want to leave a relationship, but some women do it.
10. Abuse and aggression
It is delusional and unrealistic for a man to abuse his woman either mentally, physically, emotionally, or in any way and still expect respect from her.
For him to think that way says a lot about the quality of man that he is.
When a person begins to manipulate or abuse their partner, they hurt them in ways that can’t be explained.
Expecting respect from someone you manipulate and abuse is crazy.
11. Personal issues
Changes in people’s behavior sometimes may not be related to anything their partner did.
It may be due to personal issues, anything ranging from health issues, mental stress, issues around personal growth, life goals, and so on.
The woman may be going through stuff and not discussing it with her man.
That may be what is affecting how she relates with him.
12. She’s retaliating
It is often said that women are multipliers.
You give a woman a house, she makes it a home, you give her a sperm cell, she gives you children, you give or show her disrespect, what do you get?
Do the math.
Disrespect gives birth to more disrespect.
When A Woman Loses Respect For Her Man – The Way Out
It is important to look into it carefully and address it.
Disrespect in whatever way it is expressed can spell doom for a relationship or marriage.
The first thing to do is talk about it and identify the root cause before addressing it.