Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Why do men cheat on women?
Position1 of 6
The 'Other Woman' is why men cheat
Argument2 of 2

Women lure men away from their partners

Infidelity takes place when a woman chooses to lure a faithful man away from their unsuspecting partners.

The argument

A groundbreaking 2017 study by researchers at the University of Cardiff revealed that women who have been cheated on are much more likely to blame the "other woman" than their spouse. This group believe that making a conscious decision to have a relationship with an attached man is morally wrong. A woman who makes this choice is complicit in the betrayal and is responsible for encouraging a man to cheat.

Context

When a heterosexual man cheats on his partner, he is led by the other woman.

Premises

[P1]A 2017 Cardiff study found women who were cheated on more often blamed the 'other woman' than their own partner. [P2] Choosing to pursue an attached man is seen as morally wrong and complicit in the betrayal. [P3] The other woman therefore actively encourages the man to cheat. [C] Therefore, because women lure men away from their partners, the 'other woman' is why men cheat.

Counter-arguments

This perspective is wedded to outdated beliefs that claim the man has no responsibility for his actions and objectifies women. When men decide to cheat, only they can be held accountable. As Rebecca Reid writes in The Telegraph, "When a man cheats on his wife, it is not because he’s been forced to. He hasn’t been conned into it or tricked. He has decided that sex with another person is more important, more interesting, more arousing and therefore worth compromising whatever it is that he has committed to at home."

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] The existence of a female cannot be responsible for the actions of a man