10 Reasons Why Women Cheat (And How To Prevent It From Happening To You)

Women are catching up in the cheating department.

It isn't fair to only blame men when it comes to cheating because women cheat too. There may be similar or different reasons why men and women cheat — but that’s not the point.

We tend to focus on men in regards to cheating and neglect that women cheat and why. It’s important to evaluate why women cheat and possible ways to prevent it from happening to begin with.

There are statistics for both men and women cheating and they are actually quite appalling.

Fifty-six percent of men and 34 percent of women who cheat claimed to have been happy in their marriage.

There is a 1 in 4 chance that a marriage will have one cheating spouse over the course of the marriage.

The most common documented reason for cheating is an incompatibility in relationships.

Seventy-four percent of men and 68 percent of women admit that they would have an affair if they knew they wouldn't be caught

These are just some of the statistics reported. It has also been noted that the main reason women cheat is due to lack of emotional connection or support from their partner. But, there are many reasons why women cheat:

1. There is a lack of emotional connection.

This is a very common reason as to why women make the decision to cheat. They may not feel they are emotionally supported or validated. This is considered the most common reason for why women cheat.

2. They don't feel appreciated and valued.

It’s common for couples to get "too comfortable" in a sense where saying "thank you" is less frequent. People get comfortable and start to expect things rather than be appreciative of those things.

3. They have an unhealthy attachment style.

Any attachment style that is not considered a secure attachment is considered unhealthy. Specifically, anxious-ambivalent attachment style involves the fear of being rejected by someone in a relationship.

In other words, people with an anxious-ambivalent attachment style fears being abandoned by the person they are in a relationship with. The reason those with unhealthy attachment styles cheat is because they don't feel good or secure with their current relationship.

4. They have a fear of intimacy.

Women can have intimacy fears for a lot of reasons such as growing up without a father figure, experiences of past abuse or a general fear of being hurt and put through something painful.

Some women do not want to allow themselves to be vulnerable. Some women do not want to be invalidated.

5. There is a lack of sex and/or intimacy.

Reduction of sex and intimacy is common among couples whether or not cheating has already occurred or not. This lack of sex and intimacy can increase one’s temptation to cheat and if nothing changes, that partner may continue to cheat.

6. The couple is sexually incompatible.

There may simply be a sexual incompatibility issue and some women are looking to fulfill that need. Sometimes the emotional connection is being fulfilled and the physical aspect of the relationship isn't.

7. They want to end the relationship.

Some women do not want to hurt their partner’s feelings or they may feel they do not know how to break up with someone so they will cheat in order to provide reasoning behind the breakup.

8. They don't have enough face-to-face interaction.

Women may feel they don’t have enough time with their partner actually being together, discussing things, and looking at each other.

It could be due to work schedules or child’s school schedule. Whatever the reason, they just don’t feel enough time is spent face-to-face.

9. They are being mistreated.

Women may feel their partner is being emotionally abusive or talks down to her about things. Some women may feel they need to seek validation or confirmation about something in someone else.

Whatever the reason, being mistreated is one of the reasons women seek other options and cheat.

10. They feel a lack of security in the relationship.

Women may feel they need to seek that security with someone else. Some women may feel insecure about their partner or the relationship as a whole and seek security elsewhere.

If you are like me, you’re probably wondering "What can I do to make sure it never gets to that point?"

You’re in luck because I am about to give you a few suggestions on what to do to make sure you’ve done everything you possibly can before cheating was an option.

Schedule date nights consistently. At least once a month and I would recommend once per week. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go out but this is a time when the two of you are together with no cell phones or other electronics to distract both of you.

Stay away from discussing things that you know will make your partner upset. For example, my ex-fiance kept telling me on a weekly, if not daily basis, that his co-worker would buy him dinner or something to drink. He also made it known that it was a girl. As it continued on, I became increasingly insecure and anxious. Try to avoid these types of conversations because it can lead to a wide range of problems in the relationship down the road.

If you’re trying to get out of the relationship, I can almost guarantee you that your partner would rather have you break up with them and hurt their feelings than go cheat on them to have a reason.

While discussing issues or problems within the relationship, don’t point fingers. Instead, work together to come up with solutions. This way no one feels the blame is being placed all on one partner.

If your partner is abusing you emotionally or physically, get out as soon as you can. Don’t question it. Your intuition is telling you something isn’t right, so listen to it.

Attend counseling together, separately or both. One may have intimacy fears and the other may have an unhealthy attachment style. It’ll only benefit you both in the end.

The reasoning behind women who cheat differs from person to person. Even if two or three women have the same reasons for cheating, their experience is most likely different despite the same reasoning.

Make sure to work on issues early enough and be mindful of each other. Do not stop communicating. Do not stop being each other’s best friend. Do not lose the emotional connection you both worked hard to create and maintain. A little 10-minute daily check-in with each other can make a world of difference.

Make sure you are prepared with your partner to tackle any problems or issues that arise. You are a team so make sure you participate like you’re in one.