1. Opportunity and conspiracy
40% of married women would leave their husbands if they had the opportunity and were certain that no one would ever find out. And deep down, these women are already emotionally prepared to be seduced. Therefore, leading them astray is very easy—only a fortunate combination of circumstances and a guarantee of secrecy are needed.
2. Office romance
Most opportunities for a romantic affair away from home come from a woman’s job, especially if her colleagues are interesting and sexually attractive men. Naturally, a woman who spends about ten hours a day away from home for legitimate reasons has a much higher desire and opportunity for adultery than her sister-housewife. And her husband will have no grounds for suspicion or jealousy.
An office romance is a perfect chance for a married woman to have an affair—everyone wins. According to statistics, one-third of all extramarital affairs begin with coworkers. Perhaps the workplace itself carries some kind of sexual aura.
3. Friendship that turns into romance
Both workplace affairs and many others often grow out of completely innocent, friendly relationships. Spiritual affinity, combined with physical attraction, frequently leads to the bedroom.
4. Parental example
Psychologists assure us that children, even without conscious intent, copy the behavioral patterns shown to them by their parents during childhood. If a child observed her mother’s affairs and even covered them up, or knew about her father’s romantic interests, then as an adult she will lack an internal inhibition against such actions. Although intellectually she may agree that it’s wrong.
5. Lack of sex
There is a type of infidelity where an affair is merely an additional source of sexual fulfillment. If there is insufficient sex in the marital bed, and if the woman constantly has to initiate intimacy—a role unnatural to feminine nature—then the reason is quite substantial.
And if an assertive man appears, such a woman may not resist. After forty, women’s perception of propriety and self-gratification changes, so she may initiate extramarital relationships without guilt.
6. Friend’s example
Friends who have or have had lovers play a significant role in normalizing the possibility of adultery. Their intriguing stories captivate, excite curiosity, and convince of impunity.
7. Sex in a big city
The emergence and concealment of an affair are favored not by isolation in a small village, but by the anonymity of a large city. Among countless indifferent strangers, it is much easier not only to find a lover but also to hide his existence, whereas in a small town, where everyone knows everything about each other, even an innocent flirtation cannot escape curious eyes.
8. Woman in a male role
A woman who takes control of family authority and becomes the head of the household often adopts, outside the marriage as well, a masculine, polygamous behavioral model. Such a woman is active, initiative-driven, and often has a high sexual drive that her submissive husband cannot satisfy, partly because he lacks her respect.
9. Consequence of a marriage of convenience
Someone who does not love values marriage less and is willing to risk it for personal gratification. A woman who married for practical reasons to a loving partner is more independent and naturally does not see her husband as unique or irreplaceable. Therefore, she has no reason not to be interested in other men.
10. Ah, youth—youth
There has been a rise in adultery among young married women under thirty with 1–4 years of marriage. Moreover, there is a clear trend of increasing female infidelity compared to male. Yet, in most cases, young wives cheat because they have found a new, stronger love. As a result, the marriage dissolves, but is replaced by a new, often stronger one. Strangely, young men today have lost their tendency toward infidelity.
However, the peak of infidelity occurs around age thirty-five. At this time, many marriages face a crisis, eroded by boredom and routine. Yet middle-aged women are not in a hurry to divorce for new relationships. Most likely, they understand that the next marriage will bring the same challenges—crises, daily life, and emotional decline.
11. Sexual liberation
The sexual revolution has brought its consequences to family life. Whereas thirty years ago only a few women had sexual experience before marriage, today nearly 100% do. And while not long ago sex with a husband—the first man—was the only available option, today women can distinguish between former lovers and their husbands. And they may well want to continue experiencing that difference, especially if their husband proves inadequate. Although, if a woman has already had her fill of affairs in youth and found in her husband the ideal partner, adultery may no longer tempt her, as it is already known and uninteresting.
12. Educational and cultural level
It is well known that women, when unfaithful, seek the best. Therefore, in search of a better partner and disillusioned with a lesser one, they look for someone smarter, more developed, and more interesting. Thus, a woman with a higher education and greater cultural demands will be unfaithful to a husband whose level of development is lower than her own.
This situation is common in marriages formed by young, uneducated individuals, where the woman, refusing to stop growing, surpasses her husband both educationally and culturally. When she meets someone who impresses her with erudition and broad horizons, she will inevitably become interested—and even fall in love. Especially since her husband will appear even more insignificant by comparison.
13. Escape from crisis
Periodically, women are overwhelmed by boredom, and thoughts of personal failure, monotony, and dullness take over. To shake themselves up and improve their mood, women abruptly change their image, hairstyle, job, or even apartment. In extreme cases, they may change their husband, even if only temporarily.
14. Close, but not together
A man, absorbed in his own affairs, often fails to give his wife the attention she desires. Add to this frequent business trips, constant busyness, and incompatible work and leisure schedules—and the ground for infidelity is prepared. But most often, it is leisure time and free moments spent apart from her husband that push a woman toward another man.
Often, all the reasons listed above combine into one, but the most significant—dissatisfaction with marriage. This is the primary cause for women with over twelve years of marriage. Younger women, for whom breaking the bonds of a short marriage is easier, simply divorce in such cases.
When explaining why she does not cheat on her husband, a woman may offer entirely different and always well-justified reasons. These may include sexual dissatisfaction, a relationship crisis with her husband, or a prolonged separation—in any case, the justifications will be ironclad.
But the most interesting thing is that even when possessing not one but several reasons to cheat, many women remain faithful to their husbands. Because these reasons are external phenomena and may hold no weight against a woman’s inner worldview.
