Women may still not be caught up to men as far as pay rates, but one study suggests we are gaining ground in another area: having affairs.
According to a 900-participant study at the University of Indiana in Bloomington about 23 percent of men and 19 percent of women said they had cheated; in the 1990s only 10-15 percent of women copped to being unfaithful. One factor cited for the rise was more women in the work place (Oh, great ... another reason right wing regressives will cite in arguing that moms should be at home with the kids and not here with us in the 21st century.) Another reason suggested by researchers was the whole new world of the internets, which lets you expand your social horizons in heretofore impossible ways. (Ask Anthony Weiner.)
Which brings us to another very interesting point—Some experts have a problem with this study, and one reason is that the authors never specifically defined infidelity, which in the age of sexting and other cyber sexual activities, is a pretty glaring loose thread. What if various participants had various—and perhaps vastly various—definitions of the word “cheating”? Would the numbers be very different?
If we learned anything from Bill Clinton splitting hairs (yeah, I said it) over the definition of the word “is,” it should have been that—When it comes to sex, it's always a good idea to define your terms.
According to a 900-participant study at the University of Indiana in Bloomington about 23 percent of men and 19 percent of women said they had cheated; in the 1990s only 10-15 percent of women copped to being unfaithful. One factor cited for the rise was more women in the work place (Oh, great ... another reason right wing regressives will cite in arguing that moms should be at home with the kids and not here with us in the 21st century.) Another reason suggested by researchers was the whole new world of the internets, which lets you expand your social horizons in heretofore impossible ways. (Ask Anthony Weiner.)
Which brings us to another very interesting point—Some experts have a problem with this study, and one reason is that the authors never specifically defined infidelity, which in the age of sexting and other cyber sexual activities, is a pretty glaring loose thread. What if various participants had various—and perhaps vastly various—definitions of the word “cheating”? Would the numbers be very different?
If we learned anything from Bill Clinton splitting hairs (yeah, I said it) over the definition of the word “is,” it should have been that—When it comes to sex, it's always a good idea to define your terms.
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