“My wife doesn’t respect me!” This is actually one of the most common complaints that married men have. Obviously there are others including, “my wife isn’t attracted to me, my wife doesn’t spend enough time with me and my wife never listens to me.” They’re all valid issues and if you’re a man dealing with any of them you know that the concern you feel over the problems in your marriage can have a dramatic impact on your life in general. If a man’s connection with his wife isn’t based in mutual respect and adoration, the marriage can become unbalanced very quickly. As soon as you understand why many wives lose respect for their husbands you can then begin charting a course to get your wife to see you in a different, and much more respectful, light.

There are several different reasons why women begin to lose respect for their husbands, including:

She feels emotionally neglected. Marriage is a partnership in many different and varied ways. Women look to their husbands for their emotional fulfillment. A woman wants to feel as though there’s an unbreakable emotional bond between her and the man she married. In many respects your wife views you as her emotional safe spot so that when life becomes difficult or challenging, she can look to you for guidance, acceptance and comfort. If your wife doesn’t feel that you are there for her emotionally, she may begin to lose respect for you. This happens mainly because she feels you aren’t living up to your duty or role as her life partner.

She feels you aren’t helping with daily responsibilities. If you and your wife have busy lives and you both need to nurture your careers, someone is inevitably going to end up taking care of more of the household chores including tending to the need of the children, paying bills and addressing any upkeep issues to do with your home. If your wife has taken on this role and you haven’t pitched in to the degree that she would like, she may just lose respect for you as her partner. No one wants to feel as though they are being taken advantage of and that may very well be what your wife is experiencing now in relation to this.

She is upset over an ongoing conflict. Most marriages have their fair share of conflicts. Some are innocent and disappear into the ether with just mutual apologies. Others seem to take on a life of their own and they become living, breathing entities that threaten the marriage. Such is the case when you and your wife butt heads over an issue that never sees a resolution. If she sees you as a stubborn oaf who won’t compromise in the least, that is definitely going to impact how much she respects you. If she feels strongly that you just don’t have any respect for her, those feelings will be reciprocated rather quickly.

It’s obviously incredibly difficult to live in a relationship in which you feel your partner has no respect for you. It’s up to you to take measures towards changing how your wife feels. Expecting her to suddenly respect you because you demand it will not happen. Work on improving your marriage as a whole and ensuring your wife knows that you hold her in the highest regard. This is a helpful way to start the relationship moving in a more positive direction for you both.