Sexual Infidelity among Married Couples

Sexual Infidelity among Married Couples
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Sexual Infidelity among Married Couples
Subject Introduction
The selected subject to focus on is sexual infidelity among married couples. Sexual infidelity refers to sexual engagement outside an individual’s primary relationship (Urooj & Anjum, 2015). It is an act of disloyalty to one’s sexual partner, which involves having sex with a different party. Couples who engage in this activity violate their commitment to sexual loyalty.
Focusing on these aspects enriches my knowledge and understanding of issues related to unfaithfulness. In particular, I need to know the causes and effects of disloyalty, being that this behavior is associated with the rising cases of divorce worldwide. In fact, it is the major cause of divorce and spousal battering (Jahan et al., 2017). Research shows that almost 90% of all divorces involve disloyalty (Lișman & Holman, 2021).
Before starting my research, I had the following questions: (1) Who is likely to cheat the most between men and women? (2) Why do people engage in sexual infidelity? What are the consequences of extramarital affairs? A plethora of research with American samples indicates that the prevalence of sexual infidelity is higher for men than for women regardless of the type of primary relationship (Lișman & Holman, 2021).
According to Mapfumo (2016), most men have a stronger desire to engage in extramarital affairs, are likely to cheat, have multiple sexual partners, and cite more sexual motivations for unfaithfulness. On the other hand, women tend to have a strong emotional connection with the extra-dyadic partner, cite more self-esteem motivations, are more likely to feel guilty after unfaithfulness and are more concerned about other people’s negative judgments when involved in extramarital affairs (Urooj & Anjum, 2015). Moreover, among women, the extent of dissatisfaction with the primary relationship determines the strength and frequency of infidelity (Mapfumo, 2016).
Current Research
Current Views on Sexual Infidelity
Most scholars view infidelity as the human’s natural state in the individualization process, arguing that it violates marital boundaries (Atapour et al., 2021). Wedlock is an example of such a boundary that humans tend to breach. People worldwide seem to have a similar attitude towards marital transgression, which has faced public disapproval and private engagement (Jahan et al., 2017). That is to say, most people will publicly criticize infidelity but engage in the behavior when an opportunity presents. People engage in extramarital affairs for various reasons.
Many people view unhappiness or dissatisfaction in marriage as one of the primary reasons for extramarital affairs today. According to Mapfumo (2016), many people enter marriage expecting that their spouse will meet all their needs or make them happy. After learning that one cannot meet the needs, desires, and expectations, they start seeking satisfaction elsewhere (Urooj & Anjum, 2015). Unfulfilled sexual desires occupy a huge percentage of marital dissatisfaction.
A study by Atapour et al. (2021) showed that over 52% of spouses who feel dissatisfied with their sex are more likely to seek sexual satisfaction outside their relationships than about 17% of those who feel sexually satisfied in their marital relationship relationships. It implies that couples who lack a fulfilling sex life are three times more likely to cheat on their partners than individuals with pleasurable intimacy levels (Jahan et al., 2017). In the same context, evolutional psychologists attributed relational transgression to sex drive, claiming that high sex drive in some people influences them to cheat on their partners (Lișman & Holman, 2021). Some people have a high sex drive that one person cannot handle. For that reason, they engage in unhealthy serial relationships to meet their sexual satisfaction.
Another cause of infidelity is an emotional disconnect. Atapour et al.( 2021) stated that spouses might feel emotionally disconnected from each other due to a lack of commitment and communication. They held that the absence of open communication in relationships could make spouses feel alienated, neglected, and forgotten (Atapour et al., 2021). If a partner meets someone with open communication and understanding more than their spouse, that partner is susceptible to cheating. To be emotionally connected, partners need to talk, share, express themselves, listen, laugh, and care for each other. These behaviors demonstrate love.
According to Mapfumo (2016), love is a central virtue in marital relationships because it strengthens the bond and emotional connection between spouses, improves sex life, and establishes a healthy marriage. Some marriages are not influenced by love, but convenience since some couples stay together for specific motives like financial gains (Jahan et al., 2017). Such relationships are influenced by material gain instead of emotional attachment. Couples in this kind of relationship end up cheating on each other in the name of looking for true love. Without love, chances of getting emotionally disconnected from each other are high. What began as an emotional bond can eventually result in an extramarital affair.
Other people see long-distance relationships as a cause of infidelity. Although distance does not matter in true love, living apart for a long time triggers extramarital affairs. Often, partners are forced to live apart from each other due to work commitments and the nature of their job (Lișman & Holman, 2021). The absence of one partner for an extended period leaves the other partner with loneliness and boredom, making them crave companionship. To keep themselves busy, they look for new activities involving interacting with opposite sexes (Jahan et al., 2017). When a partner gets a chance to share some space with opposite sex, the stakes of resorting to infidelity to compensate for the emptiness become high.
The current study also shows that social network contributes to infidelity among married couples. The secrecy and availability of online dating influence many spouses to look for an intimate relationships outside wedlock. A recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) reported that the easy accessibility of one’s contact and identity in social media is the primary promoter of the rising divorce rate (Jahan et al., 2017). Facebook is the undeniable pioneer with over 66% contribution to the internet divorce evidence (Jahan et al., 2017). Like Facebook, there are numerous social websites where people look for extramarital affairs.
Effects of infidelity cannot be neglected because this behavior affects every family member, including children. Recent studies indicate that an extramarital affair is the main stumble block to family happiness. It comes with innumerable negative effects that completely ruin the family (Lișman & Holman, 2021). For instance, it puts the family's financial status at risk because the family income will have to be shared with someone outside the primary relationship (Atapour et al., 2021). Suppose a man is a cheater; his extravagant spending for his external lovers may weaken his ability to care for his family. Besides, an unfaithful spouse may not have much tim...