Women are unfaithful almost as often as men.
The misconception of infidelity is that only men cheat and that women are always faithful. Wondering when and with whom exactly all these men cheat? Do straight men only cheat with single women?
The simple truth is that about as many married heterosexual women cheat as married heterosexual men.
Research suggest that 10 to 20 percent of men and women in married or other committed (monogamous) relationships have sex outside their primary relationship.
What does infidelity mean in the digital age? Is it if you watch adult movies? If you flirt on social media?
Infidelity is a breach of trust. When you cheat on your partner, you betray their trust. It is the lie and the secret of betrayal that hurt the loved one and the partner (male or female).
Cheating covers both online and real-world sexual activities, as well as other activities - everything from watching adult movies, kissing another man/woman to something as simple as flirting (micro-cheating).
Women and men often cheat for very different reasons. So why do women cheat?
1. They feel undervalued, neglected or ignored
They feel that they are just housewives, nannies, like wives. Therefore, they look for external situations that confirm them. They look to men for confirmation that they are still attractive, that someone wants them, not that they are only good for the services they provide.
2. They crave intimacy
Women feel valued and connected to their partners, more through non-sexual, emotional play (conversations, fun, living together...) than through sexual activities. When they don't get such a connection, they can look elsewhere.
3. They are surprised by the needs of others
Recent ones research about women who cheat show that many women, despite declaring that they love their spouse, their home, their work and their lives, still cheat. These women describe feeling under-supported and overwhelmed by having to be available to everyone and everything all the time, and that they seek extramarital sexual activity as a form of life fulfillment.
4. They are lonely
Women can experience loneliness in a relationship for many reasons. Perhaps the partner often works late at night or travels on business, or is emotionally unavailable to her. Whatever the cause, they feel lonely and seek a way out of their loneliness through infidelity to fill the void in their lives.
5. They expect too much from their primary relationship
Some women have unreasonable expectations of what their partner and their relationship should provide. They expect men to fulfill their every need 24/7, 365 days a year, and when that doesn't happen, they look elsewhere for attention.
6. They are reacting to past trauma and abuse
Sometimes women who have experienced deep trauma early in life, particularly sexually, will relive that trauma and try to manage or control it.
7. They don't have enough satisfying sex at home
It is a misconception of society that only men enjoy sex, because many women enjoy it, and if they do not get it at home, or if for any reason they are not comfortable with their sexual relations with their partner, they look for it elsewhere.
Just like men, women who cheat do not realize at the time how much infidelity affects their partner and their relationship. Cheating hurts, whether it's a man or a woman.
If the couple is determined to resolve the situation, proper counseling can turn a relationship crisis into an opportunity for growth. Cheating should not be seen as the end of a relationship, but as a test of a couple's maturity and ability to weather storms together.
