Scientists find men fit into one of three categories, according to new study

A new study from Canadian scientists has suggested that when they're in a relationship with a woman, men fit into one of three distinct categories in the way they behave.

Scientists found that depending on which type of man they were they saw their relationship and their role within it quite differently.

The study, led by Dr John Oliffe, a professor and leader of the University of British Columbia's research program into men's health, conducted 'in-depth interviews with 92 straight men ages 19 to 43 from diverse cultural backgrounds'.

Researchers found that a man's mental health could be impacted either positively or negatively depending on which category his behaviour in a relationship fell into.

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Based on their findings the study had three distinct types of men who all behaved differently in a relationship and they were the 'Neo-Traditionalist', the 'Egalitarian' and the 'Progressive'.

According to the study, the Neo-Traditionalist prefers his relationship to follow 'traditional gender roles' with him as 'provider and protector'.

Meanwhile, the Egalitarian is seeking an 'equal partnership' based on 'measurable give and take' so both sides of the relationship are essentially doing their bit on about the same level.

Then there's the Progressive, who has conversations with their partner aimed at 'building gender equity' by figuring out who should do what in the relationship.

Rather fittingly, of the people the study focused on 50 percent fell into the Egalitarian category, while a further 26 percent were Progressive and the remaining 24 percent were Neo-Traditionalist.

If you want to get a better idea of what each of these mean, they've put together certain scenarios to illustrate the three different categories.

Getty Images/Howard Kingsnorth

For example, one of the participants who was labelled as Neo-Traditionalist told the researchers: "I’m taking care of the bills and she’s taking care of the household, whether it be future kids or cooking."

Behaviours displayed by Egalitarian men included watering their partner's plants when they're out of town, equally dividing cooking duties, and taking it in turns to pay for date night.

Meanwhile, one of the Progressive men in the survey described getting sex toys for his partner as 'sort of an equity piece of making sure that both of our needs were met to the best of our abilities and taking that extra effort and that extra cost and that extra time'.

Another Progressive man wrote: "Learning about your role as a guy in a hetero relationship and the systemic issues of masculinity are important because I don't buy into this idea that there's a specific way of being a guy."

Reflecting on the results, Dr Oliffe said: "While men are becoming more involved in promoting gender equity, little is known about how younger men work to build partnerships in their private lives.

UBC Men's Health Research Program

"With this research, we hope we have helped map that uncharted space and point a way forward for healthier relationships that promote the health of men, their partners and families."

He explained that men who actively sought to develop gender equity in their relationships tended to have an improved state of mental wellbeing, while men with more traditional mindsets had a more negative impact to their mental health as they sometimes faced 'isolation and criticism' for their views.

Topics: Science, Health, Mental Health, Sex and Relationships

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker