Are Men More Likely To Cheat Than Women? We Examine the Stats

Unfortunately, many men and women cheat before marriage and during a marriage. Since this is the case, there is a curious question on many people’s minds. Those who are in a relationship or considering entering into one with the opposite gender commonly find themselves asking themselves, “can I trust my partner?” While we might worry about our girlfriend or partner, it’s actually more common for us as men to be the ones doing the cheating.

Historically, according to numerous studies, men are more likely to cheat on women during a relationship. Surprisingly some studies have even revealed a percentage surrounding how many men actually cheat, which we will go into further detail about during this article. You are also likely wondering if older men or younger men are more likely to cheat and at what age married men commonly cheat.

Interestingly, there are answers to these questions, and there are also certain risk factors and reasons surrounding why men cheat that we will look at to better understand the male psyche. If you’re interested in uncovering answers to burning questions surrounding male infidelity, this article can help enlighten you and divulge what you need to know.

What Is the Percentage of Men That Cheat?

Institute for Family Studies

According to statistical data released by the Institute for Family Studies, it’s estimated that approximately 20% of men cheat while married and that only 13% of women cheat while married. Additionally, it’s believed that one in five married men cheat and that approximately 40% of marriages are affected by infidelity.

However, what is interesting is the ages when men are most likely to cheat while married. According to the same study that determined men are more likely to cheat in a marriage than women, women between the ages of 18 and 29 are 1% more likely to cheat while married. Yet, men are more likely to cheat during their marriage if they are between 30 to 34.

The study’s findings concluded that 26% of married men cheat between 70 to 79, and 24% of married men cheat at 80 years or older. What is also interesting is that the percentage of how many men cheat also depends on their race. It’s believed that 13% of Hispanic men cheat while married, 16% of white men cheat while married, and 22 % of black men cheat while married.

It was also determined that men that were more educated with some secondary education or more were more likely to cheat, and men who were Democrats also had a higher cheating percent rate. Moreover, men who went to church only once a year or less were more likely to cheat than men who often went to church, which isn’t surprising.

The Affair Statistics for Unmarried Couples

pixabay.com

Although statistics surrounding cheating in unmarried couples are difficult to attain, a few key statistics could be found. The statistics surrounding unmarried couples indicate that people who are not married cheat at approximately double the rate of married people. Statistically, it’s believed that those who have cheated in the past are three times more likely to cheat again.

Have a brief look below to find out more about the cheating statistics surrounding unmarried couples.

• An enlightening 2018 study published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health indicated that 44% of men and women engage in infidelity.
• According to a biological anthropologist, 60% of single men have admitted in the past that they have tried to enter into a relationship with someone who was already in a relationship.
• Another study showed that 53% of single women have tried to get someone involved in a relationship to leave their significant other for them.

The Reasons Why Married Men Cheat

pixabay.com

Have you ever wondered what the reasons are that men cheat? Well, we have done some thorough research to find a few of the most common reasons surrounding why men cheat during a relationship.

• Commitment issues: This point might seem self-explanatory, but many studies have concluded that men and women who are less committed to their marriage or relationship are more likely to cheat.
• Boredom: In some cases, men and women who are seeking excitement because they are bored are more likely to cheat during a relationship. Often boredom associated with falling out of love is cited as a reason for cheating and seeking love elsewhere.
• Unhappiness: A leading reason why men and women cheat during a relationship is due to dissatisfaction or unhappiness. Commonly this unhappiness arises from trust issues, commitment issues, communication issues, or sex life issues. Many couples have claimed that their relationship fell apart due to cheating because their marriage was sexless.
• Feelings of unappreciation: Marriages take time and effort, and many people have feelings of unappreciation when their partners don’t acknowledge the time and effort they are putting into a relationship. Many times feelings of neglect and unappreciation lead to infidelity. For example, a man might cheat when he feels his work efforts are not acknowledged or when his wife ignores him by choosing other tasks over spending time with him.
• Revenge: Revenge cheating is common in relationships where a man has discovered his wife has cheated or is cheating on him. Additionally, revenge cheating can also be associated with other relationship problems.
• Aging and body image: Men often cheat during a relationship because they have aging or body images. That’s why many men cheat with women who are much younger than their spouses. They will cheat because they want to feel like their age or body doesn’t affect their chances of finding love with someone younger. Additionally, many men cheat if they believe that their girlfriend or wife has let themselves go by not maintaining exercise regimes and healthy eating patterns.
• Pornography: As pornography has become more prevalent in society, it has caused more men to engage in online and physical cheating. Pornography is often considered a “gateway” to infidelity.
• Distance: Men who are away from home frequently on business trips or military deployments are considerably more likely to cheat than those who are in constant contact with their family or significant other. This is because absence allows them to believe that they are less likely to be caught cheating.

What Makes Men More Likely To Cheat?

pixabay.com

Now that you are aware of why men cheat, we can look into a few risk factors surrounding what makes men more likely to cheat during a relationship. We have briefly spoken about these infidelity risk factors below.

• Psychological problems: It might not seem believable, but personality disorders and narcissistic traits increase the likelihood of a man cheating during a relationship. If a person is a narcissist, they are more likely driven to cheat because of their ego, pride, or sense of entitlement. Narcissists and people with certain personality disorders lack empathy and therefore don’t deem cheating to be a serious offense in a relationship.
• Childhood trauma: It’s believed that men who fail to address childhood trauma are more likely to cheat during their relationships. This is because often, emotional, sexual, and physical abuse that has been experienced during childhood can carry over into adulthood and affect relationships, including marriages.
• Addiction problems: It has been proven that addiction and infidelity are closely linked. Addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, drugs, and gambling are all risk factors associated with men cheating during a relationship. For example, alcohol lowers inhibitions, so men frequently imbibing in alcohol have few inhibitions surrounding cheating.
• Infidelity exposure: If a man has been exposed to cheating during his lifetime, he is more likely to cheat himself. A 2015 study concluded that children who had witnessed an affair between their parents were twice as likely to cheat in adulthood.

What Percentage of Couples Continue a Relationship After Cheating Occurs?

Institute for Family Studies

Cheating in a relationship is incredibly traumatic and emotionally taxing, and according to divorce statistics from the CDC, there are 2.7 divorces per 1,000 married couples. According to the Relish Relationship report that was released in 2020, 26% of respondents claimed to have infidelity in their marriage. This report revealed that 23% of respondents claimed to have experienced emotional cheating, 21% experienced physical cheating, and 55% experienced both physical and emotional cheating.

It’s believed that in marriages where men cheat, the relationship is more likely to end in divorce or separation. Data from the Institute for Family Studies demonstrated that 40% of married couples got separated or divorced after cheating was uncovered. On the other hand, the data revealed that only 17% of marriages ended in separation or divorce when the spouses remained faithful.

Now You Know What Percentage of Men Cheat!

Essentially married men are more likely to cheat, but older married men are often more likely to cheat than younger married men. Additionally, unmarried men and women are almost twice as likely to cheat than married men and women.

There are also many reasons why men cheat and many risk factors that could cause certain men to cheat. It is also clear to see that most marriages end in divorce or separation when a man has cheated.

At the end of the day, if you feel yourself being tempted or thinking about cheating, it’s best you identify the reasons why and chat with your partner to see if you can work through things and if not, then it’s best to go your own way so nobodies feelings get hurt.