Hey Dr Sue — Are Breakups Worse For Women Or For Men? Or Is There A Difference?

There is a difference in how people experience a breakup, but it has more to do with who the person is and the relationship they were in then it does their gender.

A person who’s been in a relationship for a couple of months will probably react differently to it ending than a person who’s been in a relationship for 5 years.

You’ll also react differently if the relationship ending came out of nowhere and was a complete surprise, compared to if you knew it was going to end and it was only a matter of when.

There are a lot of other factors that impact how a person copes with a relationship ending including if they were the one who ended the relationship, or if they were the who got dumped. Other things that can impact how they cope include a person’s their support system, their age, and their views on being single.

Also the quality of the relationship. If you were in a mediocre or bad relationship, you’re going to react differently to it ending than if it had been a good relationship.

Regardless of gender, if you’re struggling post break up there are a few things I would suggest.

If you have to maintain contact with them because of shared interest (kids, pets, businesses) then try and…