Review nº 16

Name: Cristina Soledad Guzmán
Source: www.nytimes.com
Date of publication: October 27, 2008


Review nº 16: Article ‘Love, Sex and the Changing Landscape of Infidelity’

Suppose you have been unfaithful to your spouse and you are asked to answer an anonymous questionnair about infidelity, would your admit it? Researchers claim that pople usually lie when answering this kind of questions, especially women. This topic is developed in the article ‘Love, Sex and the Changing Landscape of Infidelity’ from a New York Times publication.
Surveys conducted in person about infidelity, are likely to underestimate the real rate of adultery, because people are reluctant to admit such behaviour. Meanwhile, surveys appearing in sources like women’s magazines may overstate the adultery rate, because they suffer from selection bias: the respondents select themselves and may be more likely to report infidelity. New studies suggest that marital infidelity appears to be on the rise, particularly among older men and young couples. Notably, women, especially younger women, appear to be cheating on their spouses nearly as often as men. Theories vary about why more people appear to be cheating. Among older people, a host of newer drugs and treatments are making it easier to be sexual, and in some cases unfaithful. In younger couples, the increasing availability of pornography on the Internet, which affects sexual attitudes and perceptions of ‘normal’ behaviour, may be playing a role in rising infidelity. The fidelity gap may be explained more by cultural pressures than any real difference in sex drives between men and women. Unfaithful men are viewed as virile, while women are considered promiscuous. And historically, women have been isolated, giving them fewer opportunities to be unfaithful. But today, new means of communication like cellphones and the fact that women work outside home, appear to be allowing them to form more intimate relationships out of marriage. One good new is the fact that couples appear to be spending slightly more time together and married people also appear to have the most active sex lives.
Personally, I do not believe very much on surveys based on questionnairs because people may lie. That is why I agree with the idea that people are reluctant to say the truth especially in what respect to personal matters such as infidelity. At this respect I believe men always exaggerate and women tend to lie. I also think that the causes and consequences exposed about infidelity nowadays may be true. I think women as well as men are being more unfaithful to their couples and they admit it. But I agree with the idea that ‘ a vast majority of people still say adultery is wrong’, otherwise people wouldn’t get married or establish any kind of sentimental commitment with their couples. I think love and fidelity still exist.
In conclusion, this article reveals interesting facts about infidelity and its causes and consequences. The latests seem to be good ones because although infidelity is rated to be increasing, married couples appear to have a more active sexual life with their spouses. And more importantly, most people still believe adultery is wrong and remain being faithful.