Men are more likely than women to think about cheating on their partners, but women are as likely as men to say they've gone through with it
For decades researchers have known that roughly a fifth of married people end up cheating on their partners, but recent studies show that some women may be genetically predisposed to cheat on their partners. Among men the gene discovered does not seem to correlate with greater promiscuity, but among women the presence of the particular gene is associated with more sexual partners and a higher propensity to have affairs.
YouGov's latest research shows that while men and women are as likely as each other to actually cheat, men are more likely to think about cheating.
41% of men say that they have about cheating on their partners, while 39% said that they hadn't ever thought about it. Most women (54%) say that they've never thought about cheating on their partner, while 28% admit that they have. When it comes to actually doing the deed, however, a fifth both men and women (21% and 19%, respectively) say that they have cheated on a partner.
As to what actually constitutes cheating, men and women largely agree that having sex crosses the line. Women are more likely than men, however, to view other things as being cheating.
This is particularly true with 'sexting' or forming an emotional, not sexual, relationship with someone else. While 74% of women consider sexting to be cheating, only 59% of men agree. Similarly while 56% of women say you're a cheater if you strike up an emotional relationship with someone else only 38% of men also think that is cheating.
Dissatisfaction with their main relationship are the top reasons given for cheating by people who have actually cheated on their partners. 42% of people who cheated said that they cheated because they were emotionally deprived in their current relationship while 36% said that they cheated because they were dissatisfied with their sex life.
Men (44%), however, are much more likely than women (27%) to say that they cheated because they were dissatisfied with their sex live. Similarly, women (47%) are somewhat more likely than men (38%) to say that they cheated because they felt emotionally deprived.
