Then I think he is 1) being lazy and 2) the avoider in your relationship. Your suggestion may just be another form of pursuit. As long as you do this, he doesn’t really need to change, does he? So he probably does “get” it. Could it be a passive-aggressive sort of thing, that he feels pressured and needs to rebel in some way? Does he have such types of control issues?
It seems that every time you distance, he gets the message, but he also knows you’ll break down and come back to pursuing again. This must be very comfortable. I wish I had a woman pursuing me! Just like my wife, as long as I pursue, she gets more power, calls the shots, keeps me at bay. I understand how you feel, but I’d switch positions with you any day (assuming your H was the W).
