Why men won't commit

Are you afraid we'll invade your space, rule your life with an iron-stiletto and force you to quit your weekend golf to go shopping for bed-linen? Then you're likely to be a commitment-phobe.

Here's a quick question for the blokes: does the thought of being in a relationship conjure up a stream of feelings along the lines of, "there goes my freedom... my privacy... and 90% of my sex life"?
Single men - we're onto you. We know you think it is hip and cool to be unattached. You brag to your mates about your latest conquests, gloat over the girl who won't stop calling/text messaging/emailing and snicker how you have no idea why she's in love with you, declaring "I only went out with her once. It meant nothing!"

In a nutshell, these men revel in their freedom to be as messy, greedy, sports-loving, junk-food-scoffing and as womanizing as they please. Then there are those of you who are "seeing someone" yet refuse to admit it. Well it's not, unless you want a life confined to meaningless sex, pointless relationships and a bevy of women nagging for commitment, (or a return phone call!)

We all know the staggering statistics; marriage is on the downward spiral, we are shunning having kids, flitting from job to job and avoiding mortgages like a plague, all so that we can travel the globe, spend more on luxury goods and pontificate how free and liberated we are.But it hasn't changed the fact that many women are concerned that their biological clocks are ticking away, and worse, that they'll be confined to a life as a "single".

So what's the right way for women to tackle the commitment issue? "Many men freak out when the commitment discussion comes from nowhere, a guide aimed to help women understand the antics of the opposite sex. (Finally!)

"Don't freak him out with an unrealistic expectation... find a convenient time and place to talk, choose your words carefully, and don't make demands like, 'Listen, we have to talk seriously.'" (Don't men just hate that?) Experts suggest telling him how much you enjoy spending time with him and what he means to you. "When you convey your feelings using a direct yet warm approach you'll find that he will be more comfortable expressing his feelings to you."

And if he still refuses to commit? Don't fret. As the age-old proverb goes, "When a man repeats a promise again and again, he means to fail you anyway."