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Cheating in relationships is not only the biggest, most common fear of those who’re dating but also the single largest reason why couples split. Everything is kosher but not infidelity, and yet, nothing is stopping both men and women from cheating.
Think of it like that bout of sickness that’s spread everywhere - it’s only time before it’ll catch up with you. Try as hard as you may but you aren’t immune to it, as is no one else. Let’s face it: with dating apps dime a dozen and social media DMs open to everyone and anyone, it’s certainly not that hard for people to cheat should they have a reason to.
Speaking of reasons, why do men and women cheat? It’s a question as old as time, one that rarely has had simple, linear answers. But as per statistics, the reasons for men vastly differ from those of women. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, is it? Well… planetary proclivities aside, there’s no denying that both genders are as different as chalk and cheese when it comes to their needs and sexual desires in a relationship.
Turns out, 44% of men who cheat admitted to doing so because they wanted more sex, and cheating provided them with a certain kind of excitement that was lacking in their married life. On the other hand, 40% of those women who’ve cheated said they did it purely for emotional reasons - they either wanted some attention or wanted to feel desired.
These numbers might allude to a popular cliche about women cheating because they’re feeling neglected by their spouses while men cheat just because they can, but there’s more to the story than what it seems. The fact remains that men have been found to not be comfortable expressing their desires in the bedroom, which could lead them to stray elsewhere. Women, on the other hand, are more expressive of their needs, thereby not feeling the need to look elsewhere. When they do, it’s because they’d like to make themselves feel better because their spouses aren’t too interested.
Also, 33% of people, both men and women, out of those surveyed said that cheating was a way for them to find out if they were still desirable. This also links to another statistic - 35% of women and 25% of men who are confident of their looks and physique are found to be more likely to cheat. Clearly, self-image has a major impact on human behaviour vis-a-vis infidelity.
Why are these statistics important, you’re wondering? Simply put, these might come in handy if you ever had to encounter infidelity. In an ideal world, there would be no cheating. Couples would resolve their issues without feeling the need to look elsewhere or end things amicably before doing so. But real life isn’t as rosy and people in relationships can’t always be trusted to do the right thing.
Men and women will continue to do what they want, but knowing why they do so might help find some solutions.
