preview

Extra Marital Affairs

Decent Essays

What are extramarital affairs? According to Mariam Websters dictionary extramarital affair is defined as sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her spouse There are some questions that people have about affairs. 1. Who has affairs? 2. Why do people have affairs? 3. How prevalent are affairs? 4. Is monogamy "natural?" 5. How can affairs be prevented? So, Who Has Affairs? People think that only bad people have affairs or only people that have bad relationships. But in reality no one is immune from an affair. Monogamy is something most people believe in and want for themselves. According to Emily Brown every survey ever done on this question shows a high percentage of people think monogamy is important …show more content…

These statistics began with Kinsey's reports in the 1940's and early 1950's. Kinsey's samples included 5,000 men and showed that by age 40, 50 percent of the men had experienced extramarital sexual intercourse. Kinsey's original samples of 6,000 women showed that by age 40, 26 percent of the women had experienced extramarital sexual intercourse. Later studies dealing exclusively with men indicate a continuous increase in the number of men having extramarital affairs. The increase for women having affairs has been even more significant. Some of the statistics, both for men and for women, are extremely high and legitimately debated, but many people question any statistics on extramarital affairs, arguing that statistics are unreliable and confusing and that no one knows precisely how prevalent affairs are. While there are slight differences in the estimates based on clinical studies and questionnaires, the bottom line is compelling in showing an extremely high (and rising) incidence of extramarital affairs. Why it helps to know about the prevalence of affairs: For the person who knows their spouse has had an affair and is still trying to understand why, acknowledging the prevalence of affairs in our society can help them put it in a more realistic perspective. Understanding just how many others face the same situation (regardless of who they are or who they're married to)

Get Access