Mankeeping
Managing a partner’s emotional and social life
Example
i swear i plan everything for him—his friends, his schedule, all of it
that sounds like mankeeping
wait, that’s actually a thing?
yeah, and you deserve a break from it
Related Slang
| Deal breaker | An issue that breaks up a relationship |
| DTR | Define the relationship |
| Situationship | A romance that is not yet a committed relationship |
| Fizzling | Letting lack of effort end a relationship |
| Hoovering | Sucking a person back into a relationship |
| Love bomber | A person who uses excessive acts to secure a relationship |
| ORE | Old relationship energy |
| NRE | New relationship energy |
| ship | Relationship |
| Relationship goals | An admirable relationship |
How well do you know your texting slang?
Mankeeping is a modern relationship term for the emotional, social, and logistical work one partner, often a woman, takes on to manage a male partner's life, feelings, and relationships. Stanford researcher Angelica Puzio Ferrara coined it in 2024, building on the older concept of "kinkeeping," and it gained traction in the mid-2020s as articles and social media discussions brought the idea to light.
The term highlights how one person may end up acting as a planner, therapist, and social coordinator all at once, often without realizing how much effort it involves. People may use "mankeeping" in dating conversations, relationship advice content, and on social media to describe an imbalance in which one partner carries most of the emotional load. Specifically, they might use it to explain burnout in relationships or to encourage healthier boundaries and shared responsibility.