We all know that cheating can mean so many things to so many different people. For some people, even a simple flirtatious text can already be considered cheating and some other people will see it as something that’s just perfectly funny and innocent.
It’s probable that a huge majority of people are going to be in agreement that having sex with a third party is something that can be considered cheating. That shouldn’t be a question anymore. That is a blatant form of cheating and no one would ever have the gall to contest that.
However, what about the less subtle forms of cheating? What about the kinds of acts that are deemed bad for some and okay for others? What about those acts? Well, as it turns out, it’s not always going to be so cut and dry.
There are many layers to this issue and it really all depends on the perspective that you have on the matter.
Based on recently conducted research, it seems like at least half of young adult men seem to believe that there are certain grey areas to cheating that they can exploit. In these studies, it was found out that 73% of women actually consider kissing a third party to be a form of cheating.
However, only around 50% of men believed the same. The differences in those numbers are alarming most especially for the women in relationships. On top of that, around 50% of these men also claimed that cybersex with someone else shouldn’t count as cheating either.
However, on the women’s side of the spectrum, around 75% of them think that it SHOULD be considered as cheating.
Based on the professional analysis of James Preece, a relationship expert and dating coach, men and women tend to think about intimacy in two very different ways.
“There’s no way around this though,” says Preece. He claims that regardless of whether you think that kissing another person is a form of cheating or not, it shows a basic lack of respect and real commitment to the woman a man is supposedly in a loving and mature relationship with.
It’s indicative of the dysfunction and incompatibility as far as beliefs and boundaries in a relationship go. “If you don’t care enough about your actions or how your partner will react, then you are with the wrong person,” he claims.
The study was actually spearheaded by BBC Radio 5 Live, and it included the data spanning more than 2,066 adults from Great Britain. And of course, as everyone would expect, a whopping 91% of respondents agreed that sleeping with someone who isn’t their partner is definitely considered to be an act of cheating and infidelity.
However, the lines can become incredibly blurred and the grey areas can get really deep whenever it comes to other kinds of intimacy. Is browsing through a dating app considered cheating? Well, you would be surprised to know that around 40% of people who participated in the study seem to think so.
The study also happened to touch on sex education and its role in shaping modern civilization. Around 47% of respondents believe that their school’s sex education just wasn’t enough to prepare them for the sex lives that they led as adults. And that’s a number which is just far too high.
Anna Foster of BBC Radio 5 Live says that the results of these studies have shed more light on the importance of actually looking into the sex education that is being given to kids these days. It’s very important that schools are able to address these taboo topics to prepare the children for adult life.
“Whether it’s the stiff upper lip or the ‘no sex, we’re British attitude’, as a country we’re just not comfortable talking about sex,” says Foster.
At the end of the day, knowledge is always going to be power. And when you’re in a relationship, you always want to make sure that you are communicating with your partner about the boundaries of your love and commitment.
You both need to be on the same page at all times – particularly when your sex life (or intimate life) is concerned. These are things that need to be taught to you even as kids to prepare you for adulthood.
