Mankeeping is worrying trend that's putting women off dating altogether

We're told that relationships are a two-way street, but apparently, it's women who are doing most of the heavy lifting.

And the ladies are said to be quickly running out of patience, as this bizarre dating trend known as 'mankeeping' revolves around a lot of give and barely any take.

Experts at Stanford University coined the term last year, describing the 'unreciprocated work that women do to manage the emotional and social needs of men in their lives'.

Researchers Angelica Ferrara and Dylan P. Vergara believe that this toll of this interpersonal labour is typically lost on a woman's other half, as it is never reciprocated nor really appreciated, either.

The pair reckon that 'declining social networks' between blokes is to blame for the rise of the dating trend.

Women often shoulder a lot of responsibility in these kinds of relationships (Getty Stock Image)

Mankeeping is something of an extension of the phrase 'kinkeeping', which refers to the everlasting effort of keeping a family network thriving...which also usually falls on females.

But in this case, there are no children or household chores involved - however, in some people's opinions, this is an even larger burden.

If you are mankeeping your man, this essentially means that you are running his entire life for him, rather than just doing his washing.

For example, a woman might organise her fella's social calendar, purchase a present on his behalf for one of his pals and book his next dentist appointment - all while being attentive to his physical and emotional needs.

Honestly, some lover girls have seriously got their work cut out for them.

The toll of mankeeping is putting some women off dating altogether, research suggests (Getty Stock Image)

Another major aspect of mankeeping is the lack of appreciation you get for it, as these acts of service are also unrequited.

According to Ferrara, relationships with this dynamic often result in women teaching 'social skills' and doing the labour of 'making and maintaining friendships' on behalf of their significant other.

Her and Vergara's research found that this might be a result of the so-called male loneliness epidemic and the lack of 'emotionally supportive' friendships for fellas.

Inevitably, the absence of this support network for men means that they often put more pressure on their partner.

The term mankeeping has obviously found its way onto social media in the year since the pair published their peer-reviewed paper in Psychology of Men & Masculinities.

The term describes how females constantly cater to the emotional and social needs of their other halves (Getty Stock Image)

Ferrara said she intended for the term to 'give women language and a sense of empowerment around their grievances'. But it seems that this dating trend is putting a lot of ladies off the idea of love all together.

Only 38 percent of single women in the United States are actually out looking for a relationship, in comparison to 61 percent of men, according to a recent study by Pew Research.

It's apparently even worse on our side of the pond, as in the UK, a whopping 76 percent of singles said they have not actively tried to find a potential suitor in the last year, a report by research agency Mintel found.

Although that goes for both men and women, experts say that the result suggests that a ton of 'single women are tapping out of dating'.