Guys, do women not take criticism well?

Question

do you feel as if you would be able to communicate more if we took criticism better?

MCheetah · Accepted Answer

Generally, no. Women don't take criticism well, whatsoever. Men can't get away with being a whiny bitch because everyone, men and women, would give them sh*t for it. *Some* men can't take criticism well (like 20%), but *most* women in my opinion (like 80-90%) can't take criticism at all.

Yes, I feel like we'd get alone better if women weren't over-emotional about so much. Women want men to "talk more and communicate" but as soon as we make an effort or attempt to, we get our f*cking heads chewed off! And that's if a woman isn't even on her period. So the logical decision is "who needs all that sh*t" and we just keep our mouths shut.

I don't think women want to be treated like men. Being a man is hard. I'm not sure how to fix the problem because women aren't suited to take life like a man does. A man gets sh*t on, left and right in life, and just has to develop stoicism to get through it all, because nobody likes a whiner. Women usually have soft and cushy lives, which is why they have soft and cushy bodies. I'm not sure if it's worth changing.

Citizenkirk · Accepted Answer

Is it constructive criticism your offering her, or destructive criticism your laying down on her? Does she come from a stable home environment where self esteem is generally high, or an abusive home environment where nothing she did was ever good enough?
We're you being polite and reasonable when the criticism became an issue, or a complete jackass about the way you came across, when putting your 2 cents in where it didn't belong?

Pasiton5 · Answer

Serious who does, unless your devoid of feelings and that person ain't been born yet, but yeah women are more sensitive than dudes, i mean you got more to keep up, you say to me hey babe getting kind of big in the tummy area, oh ok honey a dude say I'll watch what i eat and go work out more love you, now dude say to his girl, he baby i ah ummm been wanting to tell you umm you know you look really good i love you, umm baby you stop going to gym, I'm don't mean nothing by it just saying, you looking a bit, remember when you were pregnant look like you are the turkey whole and y just sat there for 9 months in you are you pregnant, to of been gaining getting looking in the tummy area i mean, the lack of not going to the gym and all, her response after not saying a word as dude stumbled all over the place verbally, why don't you just come out and say it you think I'm fat i don't need you to remind me how ugly and unattractive i look I'm to tired to go to the gym so you either day with me as i am or go get you one of those toothpick runway models, got your nerve calling me fat, leave me alone she says running off crying, yeah women are more sensitive, can't say anything about their breast sagging or their hair always wrapped up like a old Liberian, or their butt seem to be expanding east and west further ever day, not even when your a thousand years old can women handle such criticism as you know baby umm those wrinkles are well can you see through them just covered you eyes completely, what wrinkles you old fool that's just, but we love you women still

Xitomyth · Answer

It's been my experience that woman do not take criticism well... Then again, I try to critique rather than criticize. I do know a select few women that don't mind criticism. I don't know if it comes from upbringing or if it's a biological thing or a societal thing... I'm honest, brutally so at times, so I deal with them the same way I deal with everyone, based on how they act, not just what they say. I see not taking criticism well as a sign of immaturity and possibly denial. I tell it to them straight, they need to stop acting like a child and assuming that I'm attacking them instead of their actions/words/arguments. The best thing to do is to get them to stay calm and in control of their emotions, depends on the woman, otherwise it'll only escalate to the point where I can't say anything without being accused of all manner of falsehoods... When it reaches that point, I cut off all relations, it's not worth the stress and effort if they just keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting things to be different (the very definition of insanity). They need to either work on themselves or grow up or both to be honest. Lost a few friends like this... A note: I don't mean I just give up the first time round, I usually stick with them for a good while to see if they actually learn from our encounters.

TheSpaceGnome · Answer

In my experience 99% of the population does not take criticism well, and it's the primary reason why intelligence is rare.

That is something only the offended person receiving criticism can do anything about.

I truly wish people were not like that, it's just another reason to feel like I can't relate to people because my sense of logic is spock level and my tolerance for people complaining about trivial things in an angry or depressed tone is virtually non existant.

I really only get along well with laid back bubbly creative types who are forgiving, intelligent, and okay with being proven wrong or given constructive criticism.

Browneye57 · Answer

No, women do not take criticism, AT ALL. And introspection simply does not exist.
In fact, EVERYTHING in their life that is wrong, is the fault of some external force or person. It is NEVER the result of any choice, decision, or action. EVER.
You even hear in their word tracks...
"I had no choice."
He made me _____ [insert emotion]
I was out of options
Long explanations of what happened and how it affected them.

No, there isn't a fix for this. Some women grow out of it, some don't. I've seen 50 year olds that still act like 14. They're just sure everything is someone else's fault.

MrOracle · Answer

I would say that women struggle with criticism generally - with the inevitable exceptions. Too many are told by their parents that they are perfect, that they can do anything, they are special, etc. Some men have the same problem, but the world has much less sympathy for men, so more men get straightened out and brought back to reality. Far less women do, so they're more likely to believe their own mental picture of themselves than believe what other people see/think.

Obviously, in most cases, the right way to deal with it is to give criticism in a helpful way, and doing your best not to make it personal and not to have an accusing tone of voice. But, yeah, some people, no matter what, are going to take it badly.

FilmGuy93 · Answer

I have never met a woman who handles criticism well. Heck, most of the women I know don't even handle compliments very well. I definitely feel that communication would be easier and freer if I felt like I could offer my opinions without being attacked.

Lynx122 · Answer

I feel like men are more likely to think criticism is only about the specific thing that the person tells them even if they're trying to imply more than that. And women are more likely to think the criticism is about way more than what the person is saying even if they're only talking about one specific thing. That makes it kinda hard to tell a woman something without her thinking you're not happy with her work at all or whatever it's about. Women are used to reading the subtext of a conversation but sometimes there is none. I don't know if there is a way to fix this but you personally can be more aware of it.

Savage_Wisdom · Answer

I should preface this bu saying not all women are like this. My father can't take criticism at all. Whereas my mother, she doesn't take it great but she's a lot better at it than him.

People in general don't like being corrected, we just want to be right. Where men and women differ is that a lot of men will listen to criticism, especially if your points are valid. At least some women prefer to take criticism as some personal attack. So they get all defensive, which usually means counter attacking. I don't think this is an issue that men can fix, women have to fix it themselves. Women are used to dealing with other women, who use double-speach to hide insults inside of compliments and criticisms. I think it can be difficult for a woman to get out of that mode.

SomeGuyCalledTom · Answer

I think women can be more passive aggressive in their own way. Which can be difficult to navigate when a male subordinate [in the workplace hierarchy] needs to critique a female manager. I've had some great female managers, but I've also had those around whom I had to walk on egg shells. Male managers tend to be more direct and can handle a more frank and unvarnished exchange of ideas. I've found with female managers I've often had to romance the stone and pad the truth somewhat, because criticising them (or questioning their own criticisms) could lead to me getting pretty much stonewalled at work.

The reason I focus on managers in answering your question is because manager/employee relationships tend to show the higher-up's true colours more transparently than a more even-footed relationship between friends or acquaintances. Once you introduce a bit of power and status dynamics into the equation, people's best and worst tendencies are usually magnified.

bamesjond0069 · Answer

Women are terrible at taking criticism. But some girl is going to say "no men are terrible at taking criticism" lmfao... which proves the point that she is terrible at handling criticism.

If a specific single woman is good at taking criticism why would she get offended? When some girl says i hate broke fat men i dont get offended at all, in fact i agree and think its awesome she has standards. But see i know im not a broke fat man. So idgaf hate away.

AmeerX · Answer

Women take it like this.
If she is complaining and you speak about your way of handling things. They will be like oh did I ask you for your input. Be my listener not a therapist. Stuff like that. Something not working, I give support and do it myself. No, you were not supposed to do that. No, how could you blah blah blah

ArrowheadSW · Answer

I think "how it is said" is important. People might not be able to take criticism well if it is said in a harsh tone. I have had issues with giving criticism harshly in the past not because I wanted to be that way, but under stress we might tend to sound that way. I need to tone it down and present it in a nice way.

Jamie05rhs · Answer

No, you don't at all. (Not you, personally. Women in general.) I think that's due to little girls being raised with a lack of discipline. Spoiled little brats.

What can be done? Not much. If someone doesn't want to listen, they don't listen. These people are only held accountable for their mistakes if they have a job in which their manager is also female.

by the way, I'd never try to fix someone like that. I'm not even interested in dating those types. The relationship would be untenable.

Lionman95 · Answer

Yes I think women don´t critism well and turn things into emotions pretty soon. But also we guys sometimes need to learn how to address critism better because we guys tend to be very direct saying we say what we think and when he thought about that.
That would things can be seen as offending by women. Generally speaking I think that if women would be more open to critism more guys would be open to feminism.

Blueeyes81 · Answer

I'll give you two examples from women I work with. One is always late. Our male boss told her "you need to show up on time". Simple and should be common sense. She took it as a personal attack on her character and went to hr with it. The second can never do any wrong. She takes every criticism as any attack. Its like a nuclear bomb going off. The rest of the day you have to deal with a raging bitch, " who can't do anything right apparently" . I think young girls are often dealt with with a much softer approach. Their egos are rarely challenged, just stroked. Then once they hit them real world were "no one gives a shit about your feelings" they take it as a personal attack.

genericname85 · Answer

depends on the person and "how" you word your critique. but i have to say in my experience, when i utter critique in something she does/did, she'll redirect that critique at her character and then get offended on behalf of her thinking i'm trying to deconstruct her value as a human being.

JackSmy · Answer

No, and I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR THE ONES I KNOW, and HAVE KNOWN!! But NONE take ANY criticism, even with the best intent, in the NICEST WAY, at all!! They all shut down, or get SUPER-DEFENSIVE, and angry!!
Ironically, they DISH OUT CRITICISM without care, and guys are just supposed to TAKE THAT SHIT?

MotorcycleMan · Answer

Most people, men or women have difficulty taking criticism. A lot depends on the delivery. You don't want to sound like a put down, or like you think any less of them or that they are not worthy in some way, it's just about expressing your personal opinions/desires and providing a safe opportunity for reflection and growth. Be ready to take and in fact invite criticism as well. This is a two-way street and you'll only get out of it what you are willing to put into it.

pajamasam · Answer

No, the issue is more that men tend to give criticism in a blunt way and women tend to give criticism in a way that is disguised.

So you just have to know your audience. And know how to deliver the information in a way that she knows you aren't trying to hurt her but to help her.

Juxtapose · Answer

Women really tend not to take it well, they have big egos from getting compliments excessively in my opinion.

ohshee · Answer

First of all there's no reason to criticize anybody if there's a problem you fix it you don't criticize and belittle anybody you fix it can you fix it like talking and caring and understanding like I said there's no reason to ever criticize anybody

COMMODOREII · Answer

Reading the comments makes me think that maybe both sides need to learn how to be more tactful.

PhantomMk · Answer

Look it’s both sides that don’t take criticism well especially the fucking people with big ass egos that feel like they need to be right about everything.

hellacray · Answer

Haha no not at all.

Some women say they can take criticism or take a joke. Then when you give a critique they get defensive or they will flip it around on you.

Like oh yeah well you've been going to the gym for a month and you somehow look fatter.

Adam1978 · Answer

No women are terrible to take criticism, that said most people are bad at it but women excel in being bad at it since they get scorned and will easily start vendetta and talking shit about the person who gave honest criticism.

msc545 · Answer

Not well at all, so a smart man doesn't do that. No such thing as "constructive criticism" with women.

Anonymous · Answer

The answer is yes, some conversations would go much better without the threat of, or actual emotionally charged Thermo nuclear explosion.
Perhaps he needs to be more careful in guiding her through some subjects, and she needs to treat a conversation with him differently to how she would with her girlfriends.

beardedbigguy · Answer

Not women but everyone. People inherently do not take criticism well. It points to a weakness they have, often isn't constructive and leads people to think poorly of that. Often they don't even know about their short coming.

BCA6010 · Answer

In my experience, no, but the good ones are at least open to constructive criticism and appreciate when I say or do what I do in order to help them. Good couples want to bring out the best in each other.

EaterPeter · Answer

Neither women nor men. Constructive criticism is a skill we all can learn and use.

Guys, do women not take criticism well?

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Would you say it's true or false that women usually can't handle criticism especially when it's coming from men?

Guys, do women not take criticism well?

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Would you say it's true or false that women usually can't handle criticism especially when it's coming from men?

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