Episode 190: Women Who Stray – The Rise of Female Infidelity
May 16, 2023 by Justin Lehmiller
Rates of infidelity have risen over the last half-century; however, if you break the data down by gender, it turns out that men’s rate of infidelity has remained relatively stable, whereas women’s has increased. So what’s behind the rise in female infidelity? And what are the implications of this for modern-day marriages and relationships? Let’s talk about it!
I am joined today by author Susan Shapiro Barash. She has written thirteen nonfiction books on women’s issues. She also writes fiction under her pen name Susannah Marren. Susan’s latest book is titled A Passion for More: Affairs that Make or Break Us. In this book, Susan presents three decades of research she conducted on heterosexual women in monogamous relationships who committed infidelity.
Some of the specific topics we discuss include:
- Are women today actually cheating more, or are they just more willing to admit to it than they were in the past?
- What role does technology play in women’s infidelity?
- How is age related to having an affair among women?
- In what ways do women say that affairs made their relationships or marriages better?
- At what point do affairs become a catalyst to leave a relationship?
Be sure to check out Susan’s website to learn more.
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Dr. Justin Lehmiller
Founder & Owner of Sex and PsychologyDr. Justin Lehmiller is a social psychologist and Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute. He runs the Sex and Psychology blog and podcast and is author of the popular book Tell Me What You Want. Dr. Lehmiller is an award-winning educator, and a prolific researcher who has published more than 50 academic works.
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