Mankeeping? Men as Pets! Male Loneliness - Women Most affected.

Rocketronic0 · 2024-11-07T04:40:58+00:00

Essentially, mankeeping is any emotional work women do to bolster their male partner, friends’ social support – without reciprocity.

Is it that common for men to not reciprocate? I seriously doubt so. The article as a whole seems to frame men as unappreciative of women’s support. I’m sure that in reality most men do appreciate the women who support them emotionally.

Now let’s address the main point of the article, namely that women are disproportionately carrying the burden of emotionally supporting men.

Men often have no choice but to turn to women for emotional support. There are obstacles resulting from cultural norms and socialisation that prevent men from expressing emotions to each other. This is a classic example of men’s internalised misandry (shaming weak or emotional men) having a spillover effect on women, something feminists often deny the existence of.

The article is right about one thing: we as men need to start dismantling these obstacles and support our fellow men’s emotional needs.

efficient_slacker · 2024-11-07T08:57:05+00:00

Gosh, it sure would be a mighty darn shame if we got rid of all emotional labor that one gender did for another without reciprocity. Gee whiz, that would certainly suck for men!

AbysmalDescent · 2024-11-07T16:12:02+00:00

It's crazy that they are trying to get special praise for what is effectively just basic kindness towards men. Like, hearing out a man you're dating or giving him a hug every once in a while shouldn't be considered such a drastic expectation of women. Men are also expected to do all this for women, on top of all the invisible emotional labor that men are expected to do to create a safe and stable emotional space for women, or their emotional instability, in relationships.

It's so disheartening to see these people trying to brush the issue back on to men, as if a "boy's trip" is somehow going to be even remotely comparable to the type of personal intimacy and safety that men crave within a relationship, and that they are also expected to give to women without receiving themselves. It's a pathetic attempt to try to pass the buck, and put the blame back on men for their own sexism and indifference towards men. Most men are content with their male friendships and don't really need much to be content. The problem isn't a lack of male friendship, it's just a lack of basic humanity, and unrealistic expectation, from women towards men.

Wonderful_Working315 · 2024-11-07T12:32:55+00:00

It's weird because men don't ask for or want the "mankeeping". I think a lot of these women are bored and don't have children or grandchildren to dote over. But their natural instincts kick in.

abramN · 2024-11-07T17:41:33+00:00

well, yet one more reason not to share my feelings with women. But really, all I see here are more phrases that women can use to bash men, from toxic masculinity to mansplaining to mankeeping.

I must admit to being very troubled by that SNL sketch. Maybe because there is some truth to the difficulties men face in interacting with other males.

bigskycaniac · 2024-11-09T17:49:45+00:00

"mankeeping."

Jesus christ, it really is like our existence itself is a detriment to women's lives according to these people.

Efficient_Aspect_638 · 2024-11-07T17:29:38+00:00

🙄

Polkadot_Rose · 2025-06-17T16:53:06+00:00

I've been "man keeping" my older brother for 15 years now. Never had a wife or girlfriend. Started to have failing health in his 40s on multiple fronts: diabetes, cardiac, cancer, copd. Obviously some of these are lifestyle related, others just unlucky. He also never earned much, was always a compulsive spender, is resistant to any and all advice, but loves the manisphere, everything from podcasts to fox news, to marvel comic movies. Operates soley on wisdom and attitudes gleaned from these areas.

He'a on medicaid and collects a small amount of ssi, plus supplemented by a small trust I set up after an uncle died. It is exhausting to constantly police his lies about why he needs extra money this month, to stop him from stealing from himself. To try and relate on marvel comics and a million things a don't know or care about.

The best thing I did was set him up with music lessons twice a week to "drop him off at the park" so to speak to socialize with other people and try and stimulate his brain in a non-negative, non-self-destructive way, because negative and self-destructive seems to be all he can relate to.

Why are people like this? And why when they are literally only alive based on the life long efforts of others, do they never just learn to appreciate it?

Personal_Court_8254 · 2025-07-29T14:11:37+00:00

To me it sounds like the "these" women are burned out from trying to keep a tally of every little thing they do and compare it to what they perceive as reciprocation or lack there of. That sounds exhausting and unhealthy.

Maybe the problem here is that we shouldn't look at kindness as a currency that is traded. If I started looking for and tallying every little thing I do for my partner, I'm sure I'd perceive that it was unfair. I must be womankeeping! Oh no!!!!

What is the goal? Equality is achieved when men and women have equal transactions within relationships? Nah. That's not a healthy way to be thinking. We should be championing healthy people in healthy relationships.

WizardOfAahs · 2025-08-18T20:54:04+00:00

“Encouraging them to talk about their stressful day at work...”

🙄. Women’s favorite past time. Complaining about their day, so you can listen and use the negative emotions to grow yourself a tumor…

-MetalSonic- · 2024-11-08T11:29:59+00:00

Women are not affected by it. They just have high standards.

Title	Mankeeping? Men as Pets! Male Loneliness - Women Most affected.
Author	Vegetable_Ad1732
Upvotes	100
Comments	19
Date	November 7, 2024 3:12 AM UTC (1 year ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1glgykv/mankeeping_men_as_pets_male_loneliness_women_most/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/mankeeping-men-as-pets-male-loneliness-women-most.1534888 https://theredarchive.com/post/1534888

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