What characteristics in men do women most enjoy in a relationship?

Although concepts like toxic masculinity have come to the fore in recent years, most men now accept that the days of women's traditional roles only being mothers and homemakers are over. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules and no matter how much so-called 'new men' have embraced female equality in the workplace, the fact is that many women still reach a glass ceiling in their careers and face sexism, even when it is unintended. Crucially, it is not just women who take a break from their careers to have children who earn less, on average, than their male counterparts. The pay gap is something that reflects society's differing attitudes to men and women across the western world.

And yet, there is something of a comeback for what could be called traditional values in the personal relationships between men and women. Despite the fact that men are frequently found to be the victims of domestic abuse these days, there has also been a discernible change in public attitudes recently in which the old-fashioned views of love and marriage are returning. In a wide-ranging survey, men reported they felt most positive about themselves if they were married or in a civil partnership. This compared favourably with men who were in a relationship but unmarried as well as men who were divorced, widowed or separated. Bottom of the pile, most tellingly, in terms of positivity were men who were single.

Equally, when men were asked what they rated most highly in life, they reported that romance was among the highest factors. Indeed, romance beat friendships, health, sport, work and even family. Could it be that men have become more romantic and focussed on long-term relationships in recent times because of the fallout from Harvey Weinstein and other high profile cases? If that is the case, then is it what women really want? What are the characteristics in men that women really do value?

What Women Want - Commitment
When it comes to romantic relationships, women are often after a commitment from men. Of course, there is no one single aspect of a man's character that will show he's committed - it comes from a range of different signals. The ability to hold eye contact, smile when chatting and hold a genuinely interested conversation is a pretty good starting point so far as most women are concerned. The trouble is that now the research shows that men are after a romantic relationship so clearly, does this mean that the traditional man might be that little bit too eager and, dare we say from a woman's point of view, needy? As such, men need to cut a bit of a balance between being committed to the idea of a solid relationship without necessarily giving up every aspect of their independence. Its a question of respect and many women now agree that a man who has insufficient self-respect is not likely to make a great long-term partner. In other words, men need to have aspects of their lives outside of their relationship which don't impinge on it but which offer a more rounded character.

What Women Want - Affection
This is a tricky one for men to pull off from the get-go. After all, affection is often shown with a touch. In this day and age, men can feel like touching is a no-go area until it is made explicit that it's okay. So, women who are craving a little physical affection but don't think that it is forthcoming enough, need to say so and be upfront about it. Likewise, men can start with a light touch of the hand and - after checking its okay - move on to more and more physical interactions. Bear in mind, of course, that affection doesn't just come from your touchy-feely side. You can also show affection by simply turning up to your dates on time, sending 'thank you' texts and by remembering birthdays. Affection also comes down to something as simple as asking about the life of the other person in the relationship and not always banging on about yourself! Women who are dating an already affectionate and romantic man sometimes wonder whether he is in love with the idea of love or the actual relationship. If that applies to you, then personalise your interactions so that the bond between you as individuals is strengthened.

What Women Want - Fun
At the end of the day, everyone wants to be happy in their romantic relationship whether they are gay, straight, a man or a woman. More often than not, however, women say that they want their man to be fun. What this often means is that they'd like to be in a relationship with a man that they think is funny and who can make them laugh. After all, women can have plenty of fun during a night out with some girlfriends. So, if men have the ability to crack a few jokes or send themselves up a little, then this is a big plus point for the chances of your relationship working out. That said, women can soon tire of the sort of man who acts the goat all the time and especially if they do so with their male mates. Being funny is great so long as it doesn't fall into childish pranks, at least not too often. If a man is genuinely excitable all the time and always up for the next opportunity to thrill seek, on the other hand, then it doesn't bode well for the longevity of the relationship.