Why do women cheat instead of breaking up?

I believe that cheating is not exclusive to just women, as men cheat in relationships, as well. When an individual cheats instead of breaking up with someone, they are choosing their desires above anything else. Our desires, our *feelings*, are very important to listen to. When we act in ways that could potentially hurt our partners or ourselves, we are subconsciously hurting ourselves without even realizing it. To answer your question, I believe a person cheats on someone without breaking up because there is a desire to avoid the direct confrontations and feelings associated with breaking up with someone. Sometimes, we still care about the people we are with, even if it means we don't want to be romantically involved with them anymore. So to protect their feelings, we hurt ourselves and act out in ways that could potentially hurt our partners. When we do this, we are subconsciously sabotaging ourselves and the relationship. The best course of action is to acknowledge our feelings and make the decisions that are in our best interest, even if they are difficult. Focusing on the bigger picture can help you focus on your needs and what you want, rather than what you have lost.

This is not at all a gendered phenomenon. People of all genders cheat presumably because they do not have enough empathy to end their relationship first. If they were to consider the other persons feelings then they would realize that it is best to end it first. Another reason might be that they do not feel brave enough to end things first, thus prioritizing their own comfort in the situation over the other persons. Again, this demonstrates a lack of empathy for the other person. I personally believe it is bare minimum human decency to break up with someone first in these situations.

People cheat for lots of reasons. Fear of confrontation, dishonesty to the self, wanting to escape to a different fantasy, low self esteem, boredom, or external factors where they cannot formally leave. Other times, the second relationship was formed because the other party is not aware they are drifting into an affair boundary with a colleague or a friend they had spent too much time with. Another may be because they see marriage or relationship as a set of duties they tick off and then they can "go have fun." Of course, some people just don't care but most of these people are not within the norm.

I believe that women cheat because they are afraid of hurting the person that they are with. The loss of feelings for someone or new feelings for someone else can be a lot to take in emotionally for a lot of women. Women who do cheat may feel afraid of your reaction, as well as hurting you. In order to abstain from hurting you they may turn to secretly carrying on a relationship with someone else. This is to prevent emotional harm to you or to the person they are with. Some women feel as if they have no other choice but to cheat. This is definitely not the case for all women, but this is the case for some.

I think women tend to cheat instead of breaking up because of the attachment that they may have with someone. Although they are not happy, they feel that they should stay in the relationship because they don’t want to abandon that person they have that attachment to. Letting go can be extremely difficult for some people. I find that most people have a hard time letting go of what they think might be good for them although it may be the complete opposite. It is easy to stay in your comfort zone or avoid the problem. Cheating might also be an outlet or an action out of impulse.

There are various reasons as to why a woman may choose to seek affection outside of the relationship and become romantic with someone other than her partner rather than just breaking up. Sometimes, the cheating isn't exactly planned and is a "spur of the moment" encounter (she gets drunk at a bar and hooks up with someone, she runs into an old flame and things go too far, etc). In these instances, she didn't break up with her partner because the cheating occurred before she even thought about the consequences of her actions. In other cases, breaking up with her current partner may not be something she really wants to do, so she may choose to continue to cheat while still remaining in a relationship with the person she has deep feelings for. A woman may also cheat if she is simply scared of the breakup itself; she may know that it is going to be painful or hurtful for her, and she may be putting it off for as long as possible.

When they get into a relationship they find certain amount of comfortability, they love the attention and the chemistry so everything seems fine at start. But with time they tend to want the same kind of spark that was there during the starting, so they search for it and thus they cheat. But, even then they know that its just a short lived relation, so their constant is the relationship and not the person whom they cheat with. Its not only about women but, humans in general. So if something like that bothers you, make yourself clear and get out of the emotional drainage.

Let's not say that all women cheat instead of breaking up. A few women want to maintain the relationship with their partner because they're afraid of being alone. So they will seek out another man to have an affair so they don't have to divorce and stay safe in their marriage. These women tend to have very low self-esteem. The men that they have the affair with builds them up and they feel better about themselves. They will never leave their husband/partner for that fear of being alone. They may actually love their husband/partner very much and are seeking thrills outside of the marriage. Perhaps their partner does not fulfill them sexually, but the affair does.

Not all women cheat and neither can cheating be justified . Some women who find themselves in a relationship where they have no say and are scared enough to leave . They tend to choose cheating because it's easier . But that's not a permanent solution . Women need to be brave to face their own needs and choices . We live in a society which believes and supports equality . Neither men nor women have the right to cheat on their partners . It's better you tell them you're no more in love. You'll save them as well as yourself too.

The feeling of love and attention is amazing as a female. If you start to lack that from one you look for it in another. Maybe the main one isn’t doing anything wrong and don’t deserve that at all but when you find someone who wants to talk and shows they care it’s hard to say no. Women without a doubt cheat more than men and there is no way to justify that. Some just do it for fun and to say they got away with it. Others don’t mean to hurt their significant other but they need more and think that will help. In no way is that true. You need to express how you’re feeling and get through that together. Don’t act on impulses when it comes to that. That can completely ruin others lives. Women Want to get away with anything they want, while controlling the other person. There is no justification for someone cheating. Women want to get away from it.

Not necessarily women! People cheat when they feel weak and incapable of facing their significant other! It's a matter of not being strong enough to see the truth. Unfortunately, it depends on the culture and where the individual lives, otherwise it's not common in some places that the women who are cheating on their significant others! It could also be a lack of attention or someone who is not taking good care of his partner. Anyways, there is no why or valid reason for anyone who would prefer to hide and cheat instead of standing for the truth. Y'ALL SHOULDN'T CHEAT.

There is no widely accepted proof to support that women cheat instead of breaking up. I know plenty of women who choose to break up when they do not feel right in a relationship, and I know plenty of men who spend years lying and cheating instead of coming clean to their partner. You simply cannot tack specific behavioral attributes to half of the human population. Women are extremely diverse in their appearance, backgrounds, thoughts, and opinions, and no two women will ever be the exact same. You might have had an experience where a woman cheated instead of breaking up, but just because one woman did this doesn't mean the other several billion would do the same.

Although the question should not entirely be specific to women-- as everyone can cheat-- I believe it can be because they may feel stuck. Some people may not be not entirely happy with their current relationship and need something else to keep them mentally stimulated. Their relationship may not be healthy in terms of communication. If their communication was healthy, perhaps they could have voiced it was too monotonous and underwhelming perhaps. Some people also may simply want more out of their current life and are not satisfied with only their relationship. There are also experiences where some pay "pay back" their significant other if they cheated. Regardless, there is a level of unsatisfaction.

I think that women or men cheat is due to lack of self confidence. It is one of the many reasons as to why people cheat. Some people cheat because they do not want to commit and do it, instead of telling the other partner upfront. Others cheat related to poor self esteem and self confidence. They cheat with others because they feel that "they are not good enough" for their partner. It is an insecurity and that they need validation from other people instead of their significant other that they are with. That is why some men and women cheat on their significant other.

Sometimes women cheat because they don't want to hurt the person they are dating, or because they are using you. They don't understand how much it can hurt someone that they are dating and they just do it. Others do it just to be spiteful, or to test their limits. If you have a suspicion someone us cheating on you, I'd break up with them, because no one deserves to be cheated on like that. JUst try not to get in a relation ship with a toxic person, it is bad for anyone, espically sensitive people. Or dont listen to me your choice

When a partner cheats as an alternative (or as a means) to breaking up, there can be many underlying reasons for their decision. Sometimes, it is because they enjoy the security of the relationship, but want more validation, attention, excitement, independence, or what have you, and believe they can have both by staying, but cheating. Sometimes they don't know how to break up with someone, or love the person too much to break up with them, but don't know how to communicate what they need to stay without cheating. Sometimes people just like the "thrill" of a secret. There are many reasons a person might cheat instead of breaking up (or as a way of forcing their partner's hand to break up with them instead), but in any case, communication might be good tool for both partners to learn to avoid such situations and discuss their needs honestly and openly.

if i were in your shoes id feel so frustrated. someone had cheated on me before, and it may hurt a lot. though, you’ll be able to recover. it must feel so frustrating and hard. though, this is the first step to recovering. im proud of you for reaching out to others. i hadn’t done that, and i now know that it’s the best to do. again, thank you for talking, and reaching out. that woman doesn’t deserve you, if she had cheated. you must be feeling very stressed right now. im very sorry you’ve had to go through that in the first place.

I think this is gender bias. There are also men that cheats instead of breaking up. But here's the thing. One of the reasons why they cheat because they want something that maybe you can't give. That third party can fulfill what you cannot fulfill. That third party can give what you cannot give. Another reason why they cheat because they are not contented. Even though you express how much you love the person and you give what you deserve, if the person doesn't really know how to be contented then he/she will look for a third party.

First I have to say that I am so sorry that you're going through this. Dealing with cheating is one of the hardest things anyone can do in a relationship. That said I truly don't think any particular sex, group, etc. is less likely to break up and more likely to cheat in a relationship. Every situation is different. I hope you have a strong support network...or someone here...that you can talk with, express your feelings, and move towards healing and eventually move forward in your life and relationships. I wish you the absolute best...and hope you know there are people here that support you and are wishing for your healing. Stay well!

Stereotypically, men tend to cheat based off looks, eg; they will cheat with a woman with a “better body”. Women tend to cheat when their current relationship is lacking something, maybe emotional support, or maybe her boyfriend doesn’t give her enough attention. They most likely love their boyfriends but due to her needs and wants not being met fully, she feels the need to fufill them elsewhere yet doesn’t want to leave the man she originally chose as he probably had some favourable qualities that she fell in love with in the first place. That is speaking from personal experience but I cannot speak for all women.

From experience, women sometimes have a phobia of abandonment or of being alone, so breaking up causes a lot of anxiety stress depression then it does in the relationship and that causes a lot of regrets. Sometimes when they cheat they don't really even mean to cheat. Sometimes it's by accident or they phrase the sentence wrong and make their boyfriend/girlfriend misunderstand what they were trying to say. And then that whole phobia of abandonment comes back up and because of the whole mistake, she starts defending herself getting angry saying harsh unnecessary things. Then it turns into a bitter hurtful miserable tiring frustrating regretful break up.

They cheat because there could be several reasons for not ending things, assuming it’s a full blown affair and not a one off; 1- They have fallen out of true love with the spouse (this ones a given in any situation of serious infidelity ) but feel they need to stay in the relationship for any number of reasons kids- not wanting to mess them up, have them see them as less family - although they no longer love the spouse the family dynamic is good and there are still nice times with the kids, it’s comfortable and there is a sense of security for all money/investments (huge if the marriage is a long time one) obligation/guilt - they know they made a commitment and feel obligation to stay no matter what even if they fall in love with the affair partner relationships/mutual friends/extended family - a divorce can strain these relationships and they may be afraid of impacting them and losing them as well if they are close ones they want their cake and to eat it too - they get the emotional and physical fulfillment outside the marriage and the home comforts within 2 - They are a coward (another given in any affair situation) they are afraid to tell the spouse they no longer love them and deal with the situation that may follow they don’t care enough to do anything about it and are afraid if they come clean about their dissatisfaction they will have to work to fix it and are afraid of what that will reveal they are afraid to face up to their own inadequacy that contributed to the issues in the marriage they are afraid if they come clean with their true feelings the marriage will end and they will lose the house/kids etc 3- they are testing the waters, they want to see if there is something better before making a move, an exit affair

I'm now expert on this, but in my head, I think it comes down to not being able to handle emotions properly. Not all women cheat instead of breaking up, but the ones that do tend to get themselves into something without thinking, then it ends up blowing up in their face, and suddenly they don't know what to do. Now, I'm not saying that all women who cheat go through this, as some do it just to be mean, and I'm also not saying that just because there's a lack of not knowing what to do justifies anything. For the women who don't know how to handle their emotions/feelings, I think it comes down to them not wanting to hurt anyone - but they are aware that all truth comes to the light eventually.

Not all women cheat. I think you would get a different answer from every person that cheat’s. Beginning a new relationship with someone is exciting,and make’s you feel good inside. Even thought you know your betraying a person you love. A lot of time’s it makes you believe you will be happy again. Now the down side ending a relationship can be the most emotionally and physical drain that your body and mind have to prepare for if you decide to end your relationship first. Most people that cheat do love there S/O and don’t want to hurt them by leaving. So with the mind set that they won’t get caught there willing to stray. What you don’t know won’t hurt you mentality. Plus if you decide that this is wrong and can’t do it anymore. You still have everything you stood to loose and go on in your marriage as nothing ever happened. And the only time you will think about it is when your S/O say’s WE NEED TO TALK. and you feel your ass pucker up thinking they found out. Like i said easy to start not very easy to end!

Just like men, This can be a deep Insecurity, or from growing up in an unaffectionate family. They tend to seek more affection, attention, and approval. Either way, they do not respect you enough to stay loyal to you, that alone should end the relationship. Always try to understand the deeper meaning in people's actions, but never be #2! Leave them and let them heal on their own. However long that may be should not concern you. You prioritize your mental health above all. There are many more out there who are waiting for someone to give their all to.

It's not a matter of what you are a man or a woman, people will cheat when they are not ready or are afraid to face the reality of breaking up with the person they are with. It will be a case by case basis and some people do it because of previous trauma and have never been in a stable relationship growing within their household or with friends etc. There is always a deeper reason, often stemmed from trauma but it is also no excuse to treat the other person in the relationship like trash (if the other person is genuine and loyal!). Some may do it because the other person is abusive and controlling and they have no other escape. It is important to ask yourself if you are creating an environment that forces your s.o. to not be themselves, to feel pressured or they can't express who they are freely with you... the problem may stem from you too.

Some women cheat depending on the context of what is happening for example: A woman cheats on her abusive boyfriend who could care less about her genuinely and cares more about his ego then he does as to why she's unhappy in the first place. - I feel like there are so many scenarios where women cheat BUT in cases like when a woman cheats because she just does it because she is bored is simply because she is bored and has nothing better or good to do. It really just all depends on the context of the situation in all.

Because sometimes it's difficult to tell someone you once loved and still care about that you don't feel happy and meaningful. Explaining that is a very difficult thing. It's not fair to cheat but it is also need to be considered from the perspective that how many people accept the breakup when someone tells them their true feelings. People get threatening, they blame, they yell. After so many similar experiences it is natural to feel afraid of confronting. But it also depends on the woman. Sometimes it's none of these reasons but the fact that they are not the best example of moral responsibility.

I believe that some (not all) women cheat instead of breaking up because they are afraid of being hurt, mentally and physically, if they break up with their partner. Most women exist in a relationship where their partner has more power over them, so in a position where you have to choose between an angry boyfriend or a kind side boy in secret, some are going to choose that second option. Most of the time, it is not the woman's choice whether they want to break up or not. Sometimes, they are not allowed to, because of toxic masculilnity.

Oh, that is such a great question! A little vague, but I will go with it. First of all: a quick about me, so you get where I am coming from. I am a 17-year-old child of divorce, which ended in cheating. So! Why do women cheat? I would argue it is not just women, but I will go with you on this. People cheat for a number of reasons. Greed, pride, lust, passion, resentment, desperation, entitlement, lack of self-esteem. In my humble opinion, cheating and breaking up are actually two completely different outcomes of two completely different issues. Cheating implies a lack of respect and a sense of self-importance. Break-ups imply respect on behalf of the dumper to the dumpee. Cheaters often think that they can cheat and continue in their relationship, which means that cheating is not the product of anything the other person did or did not do. Breaking up is more about the pairing itself, not the person who cheats. TLDR: It isn't just women who cheat, and cheating and breaking up are super different. I am here if you need to talk. Ciara