Rates of Divorce for Adultery and Infidelity

Legal Definition of Adultery

According to yourDictionary.com, adultery can be defined as "The voluntary sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than his or her spouse. The consent of both parties and penetration are required for adultery to exist."

Definition of Infidelity

Infidelity refers to someone being disloyal to another person. For example, committing adultery is an example of infidelity.

Adultery as Grounds for Divorce

It is possible to legally end a marriage based on marriage breakdown in all states. This is referred to as "no fault" divorce. In some states, a divorce may be granted if one of the parties can show that the other was at fault for the marriage ending.

Fault Grounds for Divorce

In addition to adultery, "fault" grounds for divorce are as follows:

• Desertion
• Cruelty (may be physical or mental)
• Imprisonment (the number of years is set by the state)
• Impotence (if not revealed to the other person before the marriage took place)

Gathering Statistics on Rates of Divorce for Adultery and Infidelity

The problem with trying to collect data on rates of divorce for adultery and infidelity is that adultery can considered a symptom that the marriage is not working, rather than the main reason the marriage ended. In a situation where one spouse was unhappy for some time before starting a new relationship, it's hard to truly tell if the affair is the sole reason for the divorce.

Another difficulty with getting accurate information about the numbers of people who are committing adultery is that not everyone is going to respond to a survey question honestly. The answer a person gives may depend on the way a particular question is worded. For example, if the word "adultery" is taken literally, meaning consensual sexual intercourse needs to occur to fit the definition, other forms of intimate contact (kissing, fondling, etc.) are not included in the person's answer. Therefore, a married man or woman could have engaged in questionable behavior with another person and still answer the question, "Have you ever committed adultery?" with a "No" and be telling the truth.

A random sample is considered the best way to gather statistics. If you want to find out about rates of divorce for adultery and infidelity, you don't want your results skewed by only surveying people who are attending a Sexaholics Anonymous meeting or members of a strict religious faith. These examples are a bit extreme, but they illustrate why it's important to consider who the survey respondents were before you conclude that the numbers being reported are accurate.

Adultery by the Numbers

According to a recent news item, adultery is the reason why most couples in the United Kingdom and Wales split up. In 2007, extramarital affairs were blamed for 29 percent of breakups; in 2006, this figure was 32 percent. Male infidelity accounted for over 75 percent of marriage breakdowns, while women were unfaithful only 22 percent of the time.

Given the discrepancy in the numbers, one wonders if the married men who are cheating are limiting themselves to single women or whether some of the respondents were less than honest in their answers.