Beta Male
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may not be compliant with the content policies of Wikipedia. To be compliant, it must be written from a neutral point of view, must be attributable to reliable sources free of original research, and must be encyclopedic. |
| Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. | |
An unremarkable, careful man who avoids risk and/or confrontation. In some cases, a beta male is also portrayed as submissive or feminine, just as the alpha male would be the most manly and aggressive. In a recent MSN article, beta males were stay-at-home dads. There is a difference however between the risk-avoider and the beta male, as more than risk-avoidance, the beta male fears taking initiative. The beta male in a relationship acts in response, to avoid acting like a jerk, as fear of confrontation weighs more heavily on their minds. Unfortunately, this leads to an awkward situation in romance, where even in today's supposed gender equality, a man is at the very least, expected to act "manly" and make all the date work, and later in marriage to do the breadwinning. A beta male is best matched with an alpha female, although a marriage between two betas can work too.
Compare: Alpha Male
Discussed in depth in the novel, A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore.
