Pole dancing, yoga and cooking: The hobbies women wish men were more into

Time to don your aprons, men

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With increasing gender equality, traditional roles are being redefined. Dads stay at home doing the housework whilst their wives head up huge businesses. Despite this, there still seems to be a divide in the interests of men and women, much to the consternation of many females.

According to a recent discussion on Reddit, a lot of men actually are interested in more traditionally female past-times, but still feel they can’t be open about it. As one man put it: “I'd love to indulge in female dominated hobbies (thinking of learning how to knit soon), but ain't no way I'm telling that to the women in my life.”

Here are the 7 hobbies women wish men were into:

1. Pole dancing

What was once considered a dodgy activity confined to seedy strip clubs and sex shows has now become a bona fide way to keep fit. Whilst increasingly popular amongst women, it’s less so with men. “Ugh guys are pretty much so much better at it off the bat due to upper body strength and it’s fantastic for core strength and flexibility,” wrote one woman.

2. Skincare

With a booming male grooming industry and the rise of the metrosexual, men no longer have to resort to stealing their girlfriends’ toiletries. That said, women still wish their partners would show more interest in skincare: “Basic skin care should not be 'girly'.”

However one man was unashamedly open about his love of grooming: “I'm a guy and i get my eyebrows threaded and keep the legs shaven and all that. Once you keep up with yourself and get all smooth, you really can’t go back.”

3. Sewing

Back in the day, women learnt needlework at school. That may no longer be the case, but it seems the supposedly fairer sex are still niftier with a needle and thread than their other halves. A couple of men, however, were quick to point out that there are certain men - namely goths and punk rockers - who all know how to sew. How do they know? “Source: am goth.”

4. Yoga

Although increasingly popular amongst hipsters, the vast majority of men still consider yoga too “girly” for them, despite the fact that it was originally practised mainly by men in India. One brave man explained that he felt really uncomfortable as the only male in a yoga class: “The pressure of constantly keeping my eyes lowered was exhausting. The entire thing got too uncomfortable and I quit.”

5. Dancing and musical theatre

Rather than modern styles of dance like hip-hop and street, women want to see more men doing ballet, tap and ballroom dancing. And it’s not just dancing: “Guys that can sing are seriously swoon-worthy,” admitted one woman. Her point was reinforced by a man who spent his high school years doing musical theatre: “Got me laid plenty of times,” he revealed.

6. Cross-stitching

“Oh my gosh, I cannot even express how happy I was when my boyfriend asked me to teach him to crochet a dinosaur!” wrote one woman, who also explained that she’s now more inclined to trying out her boyfriend’s hobbies too. And one man revealed that he’s been “seriously thinking about getting into cross stitching just for something to do while I watch movies.”

7. Cooking

Despite the fact that the majority of top chefs are male, a lot of women wish their male partners were more involved in the kitchen. Whilst their men do tend to take charge of the traditionally manly aspects like barbeques and carving roasts, women still feel they have to do most of the rest. Most women love a man who can cook though. “They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach,” wrote one woman, “but it is true for women too.” And there are very few women who’d disagree with that.