Some Things to Expect if You Want to Date an Albanian or an Albanian Descent Guy

If you want to date an Albanian guy, get ready for a lot of aloofness but a very strong sense of loyalty. The typical garden variety Albanian man is usually quite conservative with the expectation of traditional gender roles and the expectation of the fast track to marriage. The Albanian descent guy might be a little more relaxed about the casual phase. However, especially if both of his parents are Albanian, he might be hesitant to let them know about you at first.

First, A Note about Albanian Cultural Expectations

Gender expectations are still, for the most part, very traditional in Albania. However, a few things are changing. For example, it is now more common for women to be employed outside of the home and for the man to be unemployed. It doesn’t seem to be super difficult for women to find work, either.

However, if she doesn’t have a job, she’s expected to spend most of her time inside of the house. Even an unmarried woman who spends too much time outside often earns a bad reputation.

Women are expected to be subservient to their husbands, sons and any houseguests.

Most marriages are also no longer arranged. However, it’s still common for relatives or friends to make recommendations to family members.

In general, the Albanian culture still does not have much breathing room for casual dating. Most Albanian families are still very strict about unrelated men and women hanging out alone together unless they’re at least engaged. However, this is changing a little in some areas. In the Tirana especially, guys can have a casual dating phase. However, the number of girls who do is still very low. The cultural mindset, however, still puts a lot of limits on that.

So, What Is It Like Dating an Albanian Man?

Albanian guys are known to be fiercely loyal and place family above all else. They are also known for being dominant, willful and brave. They also tend to be rather distant. This stems mostly from when Albania was Communist and war-torn. In spite of their Islamic background, this left Albania quite poor and atheistic. As a result, war became the purpose for the men especially. They had to be ready to face combat and/or violence at a moment’s notice.

Fortunately, they are beginning to get away from that mentality now. However, Albanian men still thrive best with a major sense of purpose.

However, they tend to be very affectionate to those they know well and trust. There are always some bad apples, though, most are very protective of their wives and fiancées.

Tips for Dating an Albanian Man

-If he says that he will show up at around a certain time, for example, 5pm, he might not consider it rude to be up to 90 minutes late.

-If he invites you to coffee, it’s his way of declaring his love for you. Albanian men don’t tend to say “I love you”, they usually prefer to show it by being protective of you.

-Chances are, he won’t know how to do chores and don’t expect him to want to learn. He’ll probably view that as the woman’s job. Some of the more progressive ones do believe that it’s good to help their partners or wives with the housework. However, they still expect the woman to be the “head” of the housework.

-His way of driving may make you question the speeding laws in the U.S.

-When he’s happy, angry or sad, chances are, it will be more extreme than you’re used to. They have been known to literally grab a gun and shoot any other guy they catch getting misogynistic with their wives.

-If you hire a housekeeper, expect him to be confused by it.

-He will probably have a slower pace of life than you’re used to.

-Tea- and herbal-based remedies will probably make up a lot of his first aide treatments.

-Be warned, if your political view is liberal or liberal-leaning, chances are, it probably won’t sit well with him. Albania is still a traditionally conservative country and everyone is expected to adhere to those ideals. So one mistake dating an Albanian man that you don’t want to make is trying to convince him to become a liberal.

-If you tend to be opinionated, chances are, he won’t be attracted to that. Not just because of the traditional expectations but also because they often feel that they get that enough of that from their mothers. As a result, he won’t want to feel like he’s dating or marrying his mother.

-Albanian men tend to be attracted to women with soft features. They generally associate that with feminine softness and subordination.

What’s It Like to Dating an Albanian Descent Man?

First, get ready for very strict but generous parents. That is, if you’re lucky enough to have them approve of you. Descent guys may be more open to dating someone outside of their race and to casual dating. However, he might be afraid of what his parents might think and be inclined to take his sweet old time letting them know about you.

Since they believe in putting family above almost everything else, Albanian parents expect to maintain very close ties with all of their childrens’ spouses. If you’re not Albanian, sorry, but don’t expect them to be super accepting of you at first.

If they’re not, it’s not really about you as much it’s about the fact that they tend not have very much exposure to people of other races. The minorities who do live in Albania are mostly Roma-Egyptian. The Roma-Egyptians are associated with poverty, a lack of education and a loose lifestyle. However, once they realize that you’re not like the Roma-Egyptians, chances are, they’ll probably come around.

It depends on who he is as an individual, but chances are, he’ll probably be a strong silent type. Albanian men are taught to value quiet strength and loyalty above almost everything else. If both of his parents are Albanian, chances are, he was also taught the same.

In Albania, they don’t believe in turning family members or close friends into the justice system even if they commit the most heinous of crimes. Your Albanian descent guy may or may not go that far. But if you badmouth his friends or family members, he may see that as a complete deal breaker.

Like everyone who is a descendant of parents not from the U.S., he will always have one foot on both sides of the doorway. As a U.S. citizen, how much of each culture he chooses to embrace will ultimately be up to him. Again, however, expect him to be staunchly loyal to his parents and family and to help him do a lot for them.