Stand by your cheating man or kick him to the curb? It's not a decision any woman wants to make. But many have to after their philandering mates are caught. This Lifescript exclusive digs deep to discover why so many wives choose to stick it out. Plus, will your guy cheat? Rate the risk.
They all do it: celebrities, politicians, even the hubby next door. Sure, the names of the cheaters change: Think Tiger Woods, John Edwards, Kobe Bryant, Mark Sanford, Bill Clinton. But the story’s the same: Husband cheats, gets caught. Wife grimaces, then bears it.
In fact, up to 75% of couples rocked by an affair stay together, according to research by Peggy Vaughan, author of Preventing Affairs: You Can Have a Monogamous Marriage, But Not by Just Assuming You're Immune (Dialog Press). That so many wronged spouses managed to turn the other cheek is admirable to some. But you can’t help wondering: Why didn’t they push their wandering mates out the door?
Lifescript talked to women and experts to find out why beleaguered wives choose to stand by their men. Here’s what they told us:
- She doesn’t want to be alone.
When your husband takes up with a prettier, shapelier – perhaps even younger – woman, it doesn’t inspire confidence that you still got it goin’ on. Insecurity can be enough of a glue to stick with a marriage. “Fear of being alone keeps people in all kinds of horrible situations and relationships,” says life coach Lauren Mackler, author of Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness and Transform Your Life (Hay House, 2009) and host of “Lauren’s Life Keys” on Hay House Radio. More>>
