On a recent airing of the D.L. Hughley radio show, the top reasons women cheat were revealed. The list was entertaining and yet informative. Although the reasons were specific for women, I do believe they could go either way. Infidelity has damaged far too many marriages, it’s time we got real when discussing why it occurs. Yes, it’s true, a person who is prone to cheating will do so no matter what. It won’t matter what the other partner is or isn’t doing. A chronic adulterer could be married to the most giving, supportive, nurturing spouse in the world, but if cheating is an option for them, they will cheat. However, I don’t buy into the hype. I know not every marriage is plagued by infidelity. There are couples who are truly committed to one another. They don’t put themselves in certain situations and they do what’s necessary to keep their relationship strong. Certain precautions must be taken to keep us focused on our marriage and our spouse.
Here’s the list presented by the D.L. Hughley radio show on why women cheat:
- Revenge for a cheating partner/payback for the wrong
- Emotional withdrawal
- Bedroom boredom
- Exit strategy
- Not enough sex
- Being the bad girl
- Self esteem booster
- Lack of intimacy
- Feeling neglected or ignored
No matter what this list shows, there isn’t ever any appropriate justification for being unfaithful. These reasons do, however, give us a better understanding of how a person ends up in the arms of another. The personalities on the show had fun with this list, but there’s a lot of truth in each one of these reasons. I would also add a few of my own. Both women and men cheat because they allowed it to be an option.
For those who are familiar with addictions, they know being in a bar or around people who feed into their habits can no longer be an option when they decide to get clean. Once we decide to be faithful and committed to our spouse, we have to be careful to not put ourselves in situations that will compromise our faithfulness. Another reason is that the cheating partner did not put God first. If they had, they would do everything within their power to remain obedient. The last reason on my list is that partners who cheat are selfish and take their spouse for granted. If this were not the case, we would see more couples going that extra mile to protect their marriages; seeing relationship professionals, praying together,and communicating their needs.
Our marriage, just like in our life, will be what we make it. Cheating should never be the solution or an option in our marriages.
BMWK, how are you protecting your marriage from infidelity?