Survey: Men prefer assertive women

Disclaimer: This article is meant to aid women in comprehending what men on campus want. All the information and comments were derived from a qualitative survey given to a portion of men who attend FAMU.

Aggressive women rule, according to a recent survey conducted on campus.

In the survey, 200 men were asked a variety of questions on whether they prefer aggressive or conservative women.

The survey found that FAMU men prefer the aggressive woman to the traditionally conservative woman.

FAMU men agree aggressive women know what they want and, according to them, will have no trouble getting it.

Traditionally, women are inclined to wait for men to approach them.

Often, an aggressive woman can be seen as abrasive, domineering and desperate. However, Rattler men agree an aggressive woman is someone who is strong and independent.

“An aggressive woman is a turn-on,” said Jarred Owens, a second-year business student from Syracuse, N.Y.

Of the 200 men randomly surveyed, 26 chose conservative women, 46 said aggressive and conservative, and 138 said they like aggressive women.

“I like a woman to approach me because I get a very good base of what she’s about,” said Kevin Grant, a senior political science student from Winter Haven.

The most popular approaches they think a woman should take include: being genuine and direct, asking for a guy’s phone number or simply introducing herself.

“Just handing me her number is good,” Owens said.

James Simmons, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Center for Human Development at FAMU, said he believes the push toward more aggressive women has to do with the decreasing availability of conservative women.

“It’s not that men of the younger generation necessarily have much of a choice,” Simmons said.

Simmons said older generations of men opted for a more conservative woman, but there are new attitudes among younger men. He suggests the cause of the high number of aggressive women is increased employment opportunities and new found independence of women.

“Women aren’t playing the housewife role anymore and if they’re not happy they move on,” Simmons said. “They’re not taking no for an answer.”

Jeremy Russell said an aggressive woman is a sign of maturity.

“It’s a sign of independence,” said the freshman business administration student from Haines City.

Men appear to be jaded with the traditional conservative woman who is not straightforward with her feelings.

Some men prefer a woman who is both aggressive and conservative.

“Overall a woman that can be both conservative and aggressive is great,” Grant said.

It’s a turn off to be one dimensional.”

But some men said there are some drawbacks to being with aggressive women.

Jabbar Johnson, a sophomore business administration student from Miami, said a woman who begs to get what she wants can be a red flag when attempting to initiate a relationship.

Owen and Boyd said a woman calling multiple times a day isn’t attractive and actions such as that is a serious concern.

Natasha O. Clayton, coordinator for Student Affairs at the University’s Media Counseling and Assessment Center, said she believes the influx of confident women in the media has had a significant impact on the trend toward more aggressive women.

“The media shows women being assertive and free with their sexuality,” Clayton said.

Clayton said beginning with Marilyn Monroe, there has been a push toward women who are sure of themselves and their sexuality.

“The feminist movement also challenged women to define their roles in not only academics and the work arena, but also with relationships,” he said.

In searching for a mate, Clayton said people should make sure they know what they want before trying to get it.

“If you want a certain type of mate, you must mirror that,” Clayton said.

Contact Latoya Russell at famuanlifestyles@hotmail.com.