> So what financial situation would make men more likely to be faithful?
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> Men in relationships with women who made about 75 percent of the men’s income were the least likely to cheat, said the study, which was released at the American Sociological Association’s 105th annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
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> The study, “The Effect of Relative Income Disparity on Infidelity for Men and Women,” examined married and cohabitating people between the ages of 18 and 28, who were in the relationship for more than a year. The study uses data from the 2002 through 2007 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.
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> Munsch points out that in the overall study, very few couples surveyed had experienced cheating during the six-year period studied. Only an average of 3.8 percent of male partners and 1.4 percent of female partners cheated during that period.
via [cnn.com](http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/16/income.men.women.cheating/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+Reader)
Jesse James didn’t cheat on Sandra Bullock because she made more money than him. He cheated on her because he’s an idiot.
Looking at arbitrary factors like income might be interesting, but I doubt it would lead to anything very conclusive on this subject.
The most interesting part of this study, as far as I’m concerned, is the relatively low number of people who cheated in general out of the sample. Either the sample is skewed, or cheating is one of those many things that the media and literature make seem more commonplace than it is.
Having said that, I do believe that there are a small group of people, male and female, for whom monogamy is not the ideal state of being. Those people should admit that to themselves, and society should accept them, rather than pressure everyone on earth into believing that being in a lifelong committed relationship is the only way to lead a satisfying life. I think a lot more people would be happy if they stopped trying to be someone they are not, or trying to make their partner into someone he or she is not.
As always, a little more transparency and honesty would go a long way to avoiding pain.
