A recent study by the University of Texas at Austin showed that half of the men surveyed would forgive their female partner for cheating… if they cheated with another woman. Surprising? Not really, considering the average male fantasy, but more surprising was that the survey also revealed a shocking double standard—only 21 percent of women would forgive their male partner for cheating with another man.
Reuters reports:
Half of men would forgive their female partner’s infidelity, as long as it was with another woman, according to a new study on cheating.
Women, however, were less likely to forgive and forget if their boyfriend had been with another man, the University of Texas at Austin study showed.
Researchers asked 718 college students to imagine being in a long-term relationship and what their reactions would be to several different cheating scenarios.
They found that overall, 50 percent of men would likely continue a relationship with a woman who had a dalliance with another woman, while 22 percent said they could forgive betrayal with another man.
What do you think—are your surprised by the findings, and the double standard?
3 thoughts on “Men Forgive Cheating—With Other Women”
Hi All,
I can’t really see that a double standard has been established from the infomation provided. A gender difference has been shown but the basis for that difference has also not been established. If a double standard exists it would be within the gender groups themselves. How many of the women surveyed would forgive cheating with another man, and how many with another woman and the same variable in the male group – that would be the double standard. Nobody considers it a double standard that many women appear to enjoy window shopping than men, whilst many men would prefer to spend the afternoon watching sport with their mates.
However I believe the study is only superficial and looks at what the participants reactions ‘may’ be at ‘this’ point in time. To forgive a cheating partner in a long term relationship is a complex decision with many contributing factors, which cannot exist in an ‘imagine’ study.
I am not the least surprised by these findings as these double standards are very firmly ingrained in our culture.
Seeing two women being sexually intimate together is a common male fantasy – the opposite is not usually true for women. In addition, because of the patriarchal dynamic in our culture, lesbianism is simply not as taboo as is being a gay man. These findings are right in line with our cultural norms.
There are many other psychological (and some spiritual) forces at work in this type of situation.
I agree that cheating is cheating and this is a very complex issue.
Reed
ext 5105
Hi,
Yes, I would believe these stats, just shows how few men really understand the many different ways that a woman can show emotions and love.
Cheating is cheating, whether it involves opposite sex or same sex partners. Men are only fooling themselves in thinking that a woman cheating with another woman is harmless. Because the woman is still not getting what she desires from her man, and usually has given up, by that point, on getting her wants & needs met from any man, so she reaches out in hopes that her own gender can satisfy her needs and desires.
Now, every situation is different in nature, but the above is what I comonly hear when reading for a woman, cheating on her husband or male partner with another woman. These readings are usually highly complex in nature……because the women are normally very confused and unhappy, and have the sense that they don’t really know who they are or what they want or need. I do not judge them ( or any client ), but instead help them to understand what brought them to that point to begin .
Blessed Be )O(
Gina Rose ext.9500