Here’s proof that men catcall women to assert dominance

Wouldn’t you love to know why the construction worker on your block feels the need to compliment your ass every morning even though you never, ever respond?

Well, like most stupid and uncomfortable things men do – we don’t have the answer. In fact, the men themselves probably don’t have the answers, because guys are not in touch with their emotions like that and definitely don’t analyze their own dumb behavior.

But, the good folks at U.N. Women and Promundo  attempted to answer this question.

While there are surely many reasons, the researchers concluded that one big reason might be that the men need to find some way to assert their dominance when everything else in their life is going south.

Guys love to claim that catcalling is just their special way of saying hi and there are no creepy undertones, but this should put that excuse to bed.

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About half of the 4,830 men surveyed said they felt stressed, depressed, or ashamed to face their families. The men studied were from Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and the Palestinian territories.

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Of course, the study doesn’t directly correlate cat-calling with men who feel inadequate about themselves, but that’s what the researchers think is going on. This is on top of the interesting fact that in the Middle Eastern countries studied, men with higher education were actually more likely to catcall than their less-educated peers.

The study leaders attribute this data to the region’s “high unemployment rates, political instability, and pressure to supply their family’s daily needs.”

These men “have high aspirations for themselves and aren’t able to meet them,” explained an expert to NPR, “so they [harass women] to put them in their place. They feel like the world owes them.”

Another “no-duh” theory taken from the study results is that guys catcall to “bond” with their bros.

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This may not directly speak to the harassment you face in your home country, but we have a feeling this theory can apply to a lot of the psychos who think it’s chill to follow you off the subway or grab your butt while you’re waiting in line at the club. It’s not just because they’re “being nice” or “saying hi.” It could be because they feel bad about themselves.

Unfortunately, understanding why men harass women doesn’t mean we can stop them… but it’s a small consolation knowing that all your theories about the creeps who catcall you are almost definitely true!

H/T: NPR

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