Government figures reveal that in more than 75% of the cases of infidelity, as filed in courts all over the country, the man has been accused of infidelity. This has not been a freak year with a Casanova craze; in fact, infidelity among men has been a steady and rising trend since the beginning of the history of divorce. We must not forget that divorce itself was started by a king who wanted to get rid of his wife for another woman. Infidelity has been the most common reason for divorce for decades now.

It is not just divorce, but men are running away from cohabitations as well as same gender relations. But what is wrong with the men of Britain? Are they just programmed to ‘covet thy neighbour’s wife’ or is it something deeper than that? It must be noted here that the reasons for infidelity are highly dynamic and men are prone to change their habits according to the times they are living in. Some of the most commonly cited causes for a man’s unfaithfulness have been discussed below. If you notice, a trend will emerge, and point towards the larger socio-economic fabric of the age we live in.

The Question of Libido

It is commendable if a man is physically active, but condemned if he is hyperactive. How should he know how to strike a balance between it all? For that matter, how does one define unfaithfulness? There are men who are naturally libidinous, they are derisively labelled as ‘skirt chasers’, but at the end of the day they may return peacefully and unfailingly to the woman at home to whom in some strange way they owe their sole loyalty. Then there are men who are model husbands and perfect gentlemen around their unsuspecting wives, but are absolutely lecherous in thought. Needless to say, such wild libido does not remain repressed forever, and when they are unfaithful, they do not win much sympathy.

Mid-life Crisis

What is the much hyped mid-life crisis? It is a phase as crucial as the even more hyped teenage, only much more emotionally complicated and more difficult to share with others. As we approach the mid-forties, certain biological changes start taking place. For women, menopause draws near, and for men it may spell a stretch of physical low, even temporary impotency. All the years suddenly coming weighing down on our shoulders, muscles start sagging and hairlines start receding.

It is also the time when a fifty-year old successful man would be most likely to look around himself and wonder just what is meant by success. And he may discover that everyone else’s idea of his success has only managed to make him deeply unhappy. Some may go for an affair around this time to break the routine, or they may look upon it as a second lease into life, or just a way of getting out of the mould they have been cast into automatically.

A middle-aged man having a wild fling with a younger woman has become a very common phenomenon, and most of these flings are short-lived. But the man had endured divorce and then often made a comeback. This has cost them a family and may be a part of their fortune, but maybe they needed it right then.

Busy Wives

Women have climbed up the corporate ladder very fast. They are also venturing into all forms of activities that were traditionally considered male. They may, therefore, have less time for the family. A distance grows between the couple in such a case, and by the time the husband’s affair is discovered, he may already be more comfortable with the ‘other’ woman than the distant wife.

Bored Husbands

This is the corollary of what we have stated above. A man may live the same life for decades, and be mentally deadened to it all, till a new love hits him with the promise of getting back the vigour and joy again. Yes, people can break families out of sheer boredom. Whether they manage to start a second innings or not is dependent solely on the extent of their willingness to haul themselves out of the trough, and be brave enough to accept change. One cannot drag on with a dead marriage for the sake of it, when there is still some energy left to live again.

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you would like more information on how to get a quickie Divorce seehttp://www.quickie-divorce.com