- *What research generally shows:*
– *Historically*: Men reported higher rates of physical infidelity. Older studies from the 1990s-2000s often showed ∼20-25% of men vs. ∼10-15% of women admitted to cheating.
– *Now*: The gap has shrunk a lot. Recent surveys in the US and UK show men ∼20-23% and women ∼13-19%. Among younger people under 30, some studies find women actually report cheating slightly more.
– *Type matters*: Men tend to report more purely sexual affairs. Women are more likely to report emotional affairs or affairs tied to relationship dissatisfaction.
*Why the numbers are messy:*
1. *Definition*: Is flirting cheating? Is an emotional affair? Is watching porn? People answer differently.
2. *Honesty*: Men may overreport, women may underreport, due to social stigma.
3. *Opportunity*: Who travels more, works late, uses dating apps, etc. Access changes behavior.
*Bottom line*: Cheating isn’t a “gender trait.” It’s a human trait tied to opportunity, dissatisfaction, values, and self-control. In any single relationship, the person more likely to cheat is the one who’s unhappy, feels disconnected, has poor boundaries, or lacks impulse control — man or woman.
So instead of “who cheats more,” the better question is “what makes _people_ cheat” — and that’s usually unmet needs, lack of communication, or character issues.
In our African society polygamy is accepted. Despite that, you will find some of us men still cheat. Therefore, i have an assumption that men are found cheating more in a relationship than women. Sorry to say that, it is only my opinion. But again, lets not stereotype men in this situation. Cheating can be an individual issue, if we don’t generalize.
Man cheat more than women