Life
Young Women Are Cheating More Than Young Men Today & Here's The Reason Why
When it comes to cheating, you may not think it happens that often, but according to new findings by the Institute for Family Studies, based on data was from the General Social Survey, Millennial women have higher rates of infidelity. The survey found that 11 percent of married women from 18 to 29 state they are guilty of infidelity versus 10 percent of married men. I know — what type of infidelity? In other words, they had sex with someone other than their spouses. However, the survey also found that in older age groups, men are cheating more so than women. Interesting, right? But why the higher instance of women and infidelity?
"While gathering data for my book Facehooked, several Millennials (aka: Digital Natives) informed me they tend to do most of their interacting and flirting through mobile dating sights and social media platforms," Dr. Suzana E. Flores, clinical psychologist and author of Facehooked: How Facebook Affects Our Emotions, Relationships, and Our Lives. "The reason for this is that Millennials (compared to other generations) have a clearer understanding of how to navigate digital interactions. Women, in particular, tend to spend more time interacting on Facebook than their male counterparts. Therefore, it makes sense that social media has changed the game in terms of age and gender factors when it comes to cheating. On Facebook and other platforms, temptation is "in your face" so to speak — on your mobile devices where practically everyone is digitally connected at all times, it's all to easy to run into old flames or "the one that got away" and as we grow accustomed to share more of ourselves on these platforms, the chances of infidelity are increased because social media blurs boundary lines when it comes to casual messaging versus flirting."
That said, the survey explored many different groups of people who cheat, from female versus male Millennials to Republicans versus Democrats. According to the survey's findings, here is who's most likely to cheat.
1Democrats More Than Republicans
This may be a given due to their overall more liberal natures, but Democrats were more likely to cheat than Republicans… but not by much: 18 percent versus 14 percent, respectively.
2People Who Grew Up With One Parent
The survey found that people who did not grow up with both parents in the house have cheated 18 percent of the time. For people who did grow up with both parents, this stat was 15 percent. So, not too much of a difference, but a difference nonetheless.
3People Who Do Not Attend Religious Services Regularly
People who attend religious services once a year or less were more inclined to cheat, at 19 percent, than people who attend at least once a week: 14 percent.
4People With Some College Education
People who have a college degree cheat just a percentage point more than those with a high school or less education, 16 percent versus 15 percent, respectively. However, those with some college education cheated more so — 18 percent.
5This Is The Age Group Where Infidelity Is Highest For Men
If you're curious what the survey found regarding men from 70 to 79 years old, they surprisingly had the highest incidence of cheating at 26 percent. Conversely, 13 percent of women in that age group said they'd been unfaithful.
As you can see, cheating happens across all demographics. The survey also found that men who cheated were married more so than women: 61 percent versus 44 percent.
You can see the cheating survey in its entirety here. Of course, the definition of cheating may vary from couple-to-couple, but only you and your partner can decide what it means for you.
