For individuals involved in extramarital relationships, there exists a recurring pattern of assurances and unfulfilled aspirations. Men who engage in infidelity often make pledges of abandoning their spouses in favour of these other women. Regularly, accusations targeting the wife, such as inadequacy in bed, age, and appearance, are hurled, yet intriguingly, they remain in the marriage.
These unfaithful husbands seem to relish the challenge of managing two lives concurrently – dividing their time between their families and their concealed affairs. It's akin to repeatedly savouring a substantial portion of a cake while retaining the entire cake untouched.
Here are explanations for why married men who cheat seldom choose a side partner:
Preservation of Reputation:
- Men are aware of the social status that accompanies marriage and are hesitant to relinquish it. Many of these adulterous men are esteemed members of various societal institutions like religious congregations, companies, and others. Abandoning their wives for a mistress, paramour, or companion contradicts their priorities.
Facilitated by Wives:
- Phrases like "all men cheat" and "it's acceptable if he strays as long as he keeps it discreet" have provided men with implicit licenses to indulge in infidelity. When women deliberately choose to ignore their husbands' covert actions, the threshold for expected fidelity is lowered. By neglecting to hold them accountable, wives permit these men to wander, waiting at home to embrace them upon their return.
Continued Love for the Wife:
- Paradoxical as it sounds, some men genuinely love their wives yet engage in affairs. Despite an unyielding resolve to remain with their wives regardless of the mistress's allure, these men manage to maintain both relationships. For them, the side partner remains a source of enjoyment without jeopardizing their commitment to their spouse.
Consideration for Children: Married men resist leaving their wives for extramarital partners to provide their children with a 'functional' and 'intact' family environment.
Upholding a Successful Arrangement: If an arrangement of non-committal physical involvement has persisted, granting him access to physical intimacy while he returns to his family at night, he's unlikely to disrupt this dynamic. A cheating man is inclined to sustain the advantages of this dual existence, as changing a proven formula is seldom appealing.
In conclusion, the inclination of married men who engage in affairs to remain in their marriages instead of departing for side partners can be attributed to factors like societal image, spousal acceptance, lingering affection for their wives, commitment to their children's upbringing, and the preservation of a functional status quo.