Why Married Men And Women Cheat: Top 3 Reasons For Each

In fact it is reported that approximately 30-60 percent of all married people have cheated and that women are just as likely to cheat as men. This is very different than a generation ago when men were much more likely to have affairs outside of the marriage.
Of course all the data is rather subjective since it is typically done by people willing to complete surveys. There is almost no reliable data on how often people outside of long term relationships cheat on their partner, but the experts consider that up to 60% may not be too far of the mark. In a relatively new study from the Indiana University it was found that about 19% of the women surveyed and about 23% of men reported some type of infidelity during their current relationship.

The top three reasons given for cheating differ between the sexes. For women the top three reasons, in no particular order, given for cheating include:

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1. No sense of emotional connection or commitment from their current partner. This may be an established relationship or a new marriage where the partners are physical or emotionally distant.

2. The partner does not hold the same sexual beliefs and interests.  This may include women having to appear more submissive or less adventurous than they would like to be to satisfy their partner.

3. The passion is gone, long gone, and having passionate sex with another is one way to keep the current relationship bearable.

Men, on the other hand, tend to cheat for more physical reasons and not as many emotional reasons. However, there is a relationship issue somewhere at the heart of the behavior.

1. Men are more visually aroused and more likely to respond to an exciting female without thinking about the consequences of their actions. Simply put, blame it on the testosterone.

2. Men may no longer be physically attracted to the women they have married. This is often given as the excuse if the wife has put on weight, stopped dressing up or simply aged. This is really a double standard but remember men respond to visual images more than women, so looks do count.

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3. Reality of relationships including the humdrum of typical life, the pressure of bills and finances and the need to always have something to do for the family can also create a desire for the guy to be "wild and crazy again".  A quick fling is often seen as a diversion from their real life.

Regardless of why people cheat it is devastating to many relationships. Communicating, staying interested in each other's happiness and pleasure as well as finding time to just have fun together are simple ways to help prevent cheating from becoming an issue in your relationship.