22 Percent Of Married Men And 14 Percent Of ...

22 percent of married men and 14 percent of married women have strayed at least once during their married lives.

-Source: Associated Press

According to a 2005 study by Keynote, an Internet industry research firm 30 percent of online daters are married or live with a significant other.

In 2002, Beatriz Avila Mileham, conducted research for her doctoral dissertation in counselor education at the University of Florida. She interviewed 76 men and 10 women online, ages 25 to 66, who used Yahoo’s "Married and Flirting" or Microsoft’s "Married But Flirting," Internet chat rooms geared specifically for married people. The study’s participants, who represented every state, included stay-at-home mothers, construction workers, engineers, nurses and presidents of large corporations. Some went online for a quick "sex fix," while others established more meaningful connections where they talked about personal problems, marital issues and things like that, Mileham said. Others hoped to have a real-life affair. Still others wanted to engage in cybersex, exchanging sexual fantasies with someone.

The vast majority said they loved their spouses but sought an erotic encounter online because of boredom, a partner’s lack of sexual interest or the need for variety and fun, Mileham said.

Twenty-six of the 86 study participants went on to meet the person whom they had been engaged in an online relationship with, and of these, all but two ended up having a real-life affair. One 66-year-old man ended up having 13 affairs this way, she said.

In my research I even heard one man say that he had cyber sex while his wife was in the same room. She thought he was working. Another man said his wife knew but hated it. She would sometimes look over his shoulder while he exchanged lewd sexual comments to people on the internet.