With one in five British adults admitting to cheating on their partners, monogamy is clearly not as straightforward a concept for some as it is for others.
While studies have revealed that men may have a greater tendency than women to go ahead with or contemplate committing adultery in heterosexual relationships, recent research has shown that they can be less forgiving than their female counterparts when considering divorce on account of infidelity.
Hall Brown Family Law has conducted research into behavioural patterns that can lead to divorce, coming to illuminating conclusions about the impact of adulterous conduct on marital bliss.
According to the findings, almost a third of divorces occur when men and women have forgiven past wrongdoings but have finally “run out of patience.”
This bad behaviour refers to a number of issues, including adultery, financial problems and substance abuse.
Ellen Walker, a solicitor at Hall Brown Family Law, stated that women are more likely than men to try to salvage a broken marriage, despite their partner’s unfaithfulness.
“We are surprised time and again by the ability of some men and women to almost turn a blind eye to their partner’s misbehaviour,” she said.
“However, the cases which we deal with illustrate how many people in such a situation find their patience ultimately exhausted, usually when the misconduct becomes too difficult for themselves and others to ignore.
“In some cases, that means being told by friends and relatives about extra-marital affairs which they were already aware of or discovering the true extent of a spouse’s financial difficulties and learning that they impact on a business as well as at home.”
On the other hand, the odds of men tolerating their wives’ dishonesty are far lower than the other way around.
In October last year, the Office for National Statistics stated that the number of women petitioning for divorce against their husbands as a consequence of their spouses’ misconduct had decreased by 43 per cent since 1996.
Meanwhile the number of men divorcing their wives for the same reason had increased by approximately by a third.
According to Ms Walker, the main reason why men and women are willing to give their marriages another go is due to the negative effect separating will have on their children.
“Arguably the principal factor in staying together is a desire to remain married for the sake of their children,” she explained.
“Once those children have left home, a number of unhappy parents decide to take advantage of what they regard as an opportunity to leave a troubled marriage."
