People Are Cheating During Coronavirus While Their Spouse Is In The Next Room
Coronavirus has caused all of us to adjust to a new normal – we can only see a few select people face-to-face as we shelter in place and practice social-distancing. You’d think that would make it more difficult for people to cheat, given that they can’t leave their homes to pursue it. Apparently, that isn’t the case.
The Cheating Stats during Coronavirus
Ashley Madison, a dating website for people already married or in relationships, has seen a huge jump in daily subscribers since Coronavirus hit, from 15,500 per day in 2019 to 17,000 per day in 2020. They’ve recently changed their tagline to fit with the current crisis: “Life is short. Have an affair.”
80% of the women on Ashley Madison reported being in sexless marriages, and 30% are now pursuing cybersex on the website.
The stats on Ashley Madison show that women aren’t pursuing long-lasting solutions for their relationships, but instead are looking for quick fixes that will only destroy their marriages. 80% of the women on Ashley Madison reported being in sexless marriages, and 30% are now pursuing cybersex on the website.
“These two data points tell us that the majority of women seeking an affair intended to fill a missing physical element in their life,” says the chief strategy officer of Ashley Madison, Paul Keable. “Now with self-isolation a major factor in our lives, virtual affairs are being utilized to fill the gap.” That same survey asked if couples were trying to spice up their sex lives in quarantine – 76% responded no.
Cheating Is Always Wrong, but Even More So in Quarantine
Quarantine is a trying time for many couples, but it’s also an opportunity for couples to make time for each other and to work on their relationship. The fact that so many people responded that they weren’t working on their own sex lives, but instead were looking outside of their marriages for sexual satisfaction, is horrible to think about. They are choosing to focus on immediate self-gratification rather than on the long-lasting results of working on their relationships.
They are choosing to focus on immediate self-gratification rather than on the long-lasting results of working on their relationships.
When people cheat while at home with their significant other, it’s the worst form of betrayal. With nothing but a wall between them, a girlfriend could think everything is fine as her boyfriend engages in cybersex with a stranger. InStyle reported on a man who was cheating on his girlfriend who is a nurse, an essential worker on the front lines of the Coronavirus. Instead of supporting her, he uses her time at work to electronically cheat with an old ex. As she sacrifices her health to fight for those of us at home, he uses the stress of the situation to debase himself and betray her.
The potential fallout from these behaviors is scary – there will be nowhere for each partner to go to escape since everything is shut down.
Cheating is always risky and hurts the people around you. It’s even more awful now, when infidelity is occurring as someone’s spouse is lying next to them in bed on their phone. Imagine what could happen when a husband finds out his wife is cheating on him while he’s quarantined at home with her. The potential fallout from these behaviors is scary – there will be nowhere for each partner to go since everything is shut down.
Closing Thoughts
Generally during COVID-19, people are seeking out more sexual content: Onlyfans has seen a 75% increase in signups since people began to quarantine. Boredom is causing people to do a lot of silly things, but when people put out their own pornography and/or cheat on a partner, it’s not silly. It’s harmful. Making life-altering decisions during such a strange and unusual time will only come back to haunt them – and haunt the people whose feelings they took for granted during a time when we ought to come together.
Abby Roth is the creator of Classically Abby, a commentary, opera, beauty, and lifestyle brand dedicated to looking at the world from a classic perspective. Abby is an opera singer with three degrees in operatic performance from USC and Manhattan School of Music. You can find her website at www.classicallyabby.com and follow her on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest at @ClassicallyAbby.