Marital disputes are common in marriages. Women tend to be more patient and more likely to take actions towards reconciliation, such as initiating conversations or apologizing, even if they’re not completely wrong. Women’s tendency toward mending relationships is influenced by cultural and social factors since old ages.
In Japanese traditional culture, men typically work outside the home while women are responsible for household chores and childcare. However, in the present, many women work outside the home as well. Anyway, as a result, women are expected to maintain harmony in the home so they’re more likely to take actions in order to resolve stressful marital disputes. Women want to keep a peaceful atmosphere at home since they’re traditional role is to care for home and family welfare. This theory comes from historical culture; during the primitive ages, men went out to hunt for food, and women took care of their families at home. From the genetic aspect, it makes sense that men are relatively aggressive because they genetically fought outside and hunted. But, women, who were normally in the home, preferred reconciliation in order to maintain peace in the family.
Additionally, men tend to have higher social status than women, so women tend to have less social power, which can make it difficult for women to take the lead in marital disputes. Women are required to adapt to a man’s perspective because of the social power a man possesses.
With changing gender roles in modern society, more men are taking on household chores and childcare responsibilities, and more women are working outside the home. Women can even earn enough money to live alone, so this genetic behavior towards “marital arguments” may be changing gradually.
So, the tendency for women to take actions towards reconciliation in marital disputes may be largely influenced by Japanese cultural and social roles from the past. As gender roles continue to evolve, behavior patterns may shift as well. Nowadays, some working women may not feel the same urgent need to appease her husband or worry about the home as much anymore since they’re also responsible for other work outside the home.
In the past, women did not work outside the home and relied on their man to take care of them so they were very dependent, leading them to ensure peace. Men are physically stronger so they can always win and dominate women. Compared to the past, currently, women also work outside the home so they can be independent from men. If men don’t change aggressive behavior, perhaps women will just leave them instead of continuing to disagree since it takes so much energy.
Men might regret their past actions for not saying the one simple word women desire to hear – sorry.