Sexual infidelity among married and cohabiting Americans

Virtually all American couples, married or cohabiting, expect sexual exclus ivity of one another. This article asks why some people are sexually exclus ive while others have sex with someone besides their mate. Previous researc h has linked personal values, sexual opportunities, and quality of the mari tal relationship to extramartial sex. This paper integrates these findings in a multivariate model that incorporates factors informing sexual decision making as well as demographic "risk factors. " Nationally representative s urvey data show higher likelihood of sexual infidelity among those with str onger sexual interests, more permissive sexual values, lower subjective sat isfaction with their union, weaker network ties to partner, and greater sex ual opportunities. With these factors controlled, gender differences are su bstantially reduced or eliminated, although racial effects persist.