I’ve noticed a a glaring double standard when it comes to how men and women react to criticism against the opposite gender. Men constantly defend women, whether online or in real life, but when the roles are reversed, women are noticeably silent.

I recently saw a Twitter post where a guy joked about the women around him having no ass. While some men laughed, many others immediately jumped in to shame him, calling him out for being disrespectful. This isn’t an isolated case, it happens all the time. Men hold other men accountable when women are disrespected.

But when the roles are reversed, this same level of accountability is much harder to find. Women openly mock men for their height, financial status, or even manipulate them in relationships, yet other women rarely challenge this behavior. Most women encourage it; both irl and online. Why? Is it because they simply don’t care? Do they lack empathy for men? Or do they secretly enjoy watching men get torn down?