Why Do Women Cheat in Marriage?
In the past, there were significant differences in the reasons why men cheated and why women cheated, men cheated for reasons of sexual variation, and women cheated on relationship dissatisfaction. Today, however, the gender gap in infidelity is shrinking: Men and women are disloyal for some of the same reasons and to the same extent.
So Why Woman Cheats in a Relationship?
Reasons Women Cheating in a Marriage
More than anything, women's needs are met in a relationship from an emotional relationship. When they feel their husbands are no longer listening or understanding them, they feel isolated and alone. The only thing that lessens the pain of loneliness is connection. If it doesn't come through their husbands, the temptation to take the pain away comes.
They miss intimacy.
Women are more likely to feel valued and connected to their partners through non-sexual emotional interactions than through sexual activity. When they don't feel that connection from their main partner, they may look elsewhere.
Dissatisfaction in marriage, both emotional and sexual, is common. Marriage is an occupation, and without nurturing each other, couples can grow apart. Sexless marriages are sometimes claimed to be the reason women have extramarital affairs.
Overwhelmed by the needs of others.
Research on cheating women shows that many women, despite claiming that they love their husbands, their homes, their jobs, and their lives, continue to cheat. These women often describe feeling so unsupported and overwhelmed at having to be everything to everyone at all times, that they seek sex outside of wedlock as an escape to fill a void in life.
Cheating, especially emotional infidelity these days is a lot easier than it used to be, and social media sites have been implicated in a lot of infidelity and divorce. Internet cheating or "online cheating" is a form of unfaithfulness, even though these two people never meet face-to-face.
Inferiority
There are lots of reasons why some women struggle with low self-esteem. Whether they are unhappy with their relationship, their job, or their appearance, could be reasons for cheating.
For example, if you feel bad about yourself and someone comes into your life to compliment you and show an interest in you, you may be tempted to explore something with this new person, which makes you feel really good. In this case, just about anyone can find themselves suddenly wanting to find the validation they need, and they don't get in their current relationship.
Boredom can lead to infidelity in women seeking the thrill of pursuit, excitement, and passion, associated with newfound love.
Some people claim that, instead of finding a replacement for their partner, their romance is a way to spice up the thrill of their marriage.
Separation is also often cited as a reason for infidelity, but perhaps because of a lack of understanding of the maturity of love in marriage.
Body Image/Aging:
Often illustrated by tales of middle-aged men who have affairs with women their daughter's age, cheating can sometimes be a way for a woman to prove they still "have it." Along with this thought, couples can blame their carelessness by claiming that their partner is gone.
A woman can feel alone in a relationship for several reasons. Maybe their partner works long hours or goes on a casual business trip, or maybe their partner is not emotionally available. Whatever the trigger, certain women feel lonely, and they seek connection through an affair to fill the void.
Expecting too much from a Relationship.
Some women have unreasonable expectations of what their partner and primary relationship should be. They expect their partner to provide for their every need 24/7, 365 days a year, and when that's not the case, they look for attention elsewhere.
Women respond to or relive trauma and abuse early in life.
Sometimes women who have experienced deep trauma, especially sexual trauma, will relive the trauma as a way to try to master or control it.
Women sometimes feel belittled, or ignored. They feel more like housekeepers, nannies, or financial providers than wives or girlfriends. So they look for external situations that validate them for who they are, rather than the services they perform.
Here's advice for any husband who's worried about why their wife is cheating on him: "You need to start looking at your behavior in the bedroom, and make sure you're holding on to the edge of your desk. Because if you don't, there's someone out there who is more than willing to do that."
Summary
There is always something under the surface that causes people to cheat. Nobody ever justifies cheating, but there is always a reason why it happens. There are big differences between the two. Knowing the reason gives your marriage a better chance of not falling to this unfortunate end.