The PLOS ONE study “Infidelity among parents in committed relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic” provides empirical data on the question of to what extent parents in committed relationships tended toward extramarital relationships during the coronavirus pandemic. It is based on a representatively weighted U.S. sample of 1,070 heterosexual adults (498 men and 572 women) aged between 18 and 45 years; 72% were parents. Both the self-perceived “increased desire” for infidelity and actual actions that the partner would classify as infidelity were recorded. The survey defined “before the pandemic” as the year prior to the start of the pandemic and asked about changes compared to that period. Linear and logistic regression models were used to examine whether parenthood and gender mutually influenced each other; age, relationship duration, and major relationship experiences during the pandemic were controlled for.
Key Findings
| Group | Share with increased desire to cheat | Share who actually cheated |
| Total sample | 19.6% | 18.8% |
| Men | 29.2% | 28.1% |
| Women | 9.7% | 10.9% |
| Parents | 24.2% | 20.7% |
| Non-parents | 8.3% | 13.9% |
Gender Differences
Across the entire sample, men reported an increased desire for infidelity and actual infidelity more often than women. In the multivariate analysis, men had a 70% higher chance of cheating during the pandemic than women. The authors attribute this to established findings that, from an evolutionary psychology perspective, men invest more in extramarital sexual contacts, while societal “sexual double standards” sanction women more strongly.
The Role of Parenthood
Parents reported a greater desire for extramarital contacts during the pandemic (24.2% vs. 8.3%) and actually cheated more often (20.7% vs. 13.9%) than childless individuals. In the regression analyses, parenthood had a clear main effect: the likelihood of infidelity was 48% higher for parents than for non-parents. Notably, gender did not moderate this relationship; in other words, the increase in infidelity among parents affected mothers and fathers equally. In an exploratory analysis, parenthood remained a significant predictor even when the “increased desire” for infidelity was controlled for; gender lost significance in this model, suggesting that the stronger desire among many men explains the gender difference.
Interpretation of the Results
The findings refute the widespread assumption that infidelity is primarily a male phenomenon. While men cheat more often in absolute numbers, the study showed that fathers and mothers are similarly likely to start an affair under stressful conditions such as a pandemic. The pandemic increased the burden especially for parents—working from home, childcare, and financial insecurity heightened stress and reduced relationship satisfaction. According to the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model, people respond to stress with behaviors that promise short-term relief; this can include seeking emotional or sexual validation outside the relationship.
The authors also discuss that societal double standards and patriarchal expectations lead men to be more willing to take risks and more open about extramarital contacts. At the same time, women may be more likely to conceal their infidelity out of fear of social sanction—which could lead to an underestimation of female infidelity in surveys. In stressful situations like the pandemic, this gender difference is relativized, as mothers increasingly develop unconscious needs for validation, self-efficacy, or variety and seek these in extramarital relationships just as fathers do. Thus, misandrist stereotypes that attribute male infidelity to a quasi-biological inevitability lose their persuasive power.
What explains the observed patterns?
- Stress-induced loss of control: Increased everyday stress among parents reduces relationship satisfaction and lowers impulse control. The study shows that parents, regardless of gender, experience higher stress than non-parents and are therefore more prone to infidelity.
- Change in the couple relationship: Parenthood often shifts attention away from the couple and toward the children. When emotional and sexual needs go unmet, the study finds that the attractiveness of extradyadic contacts increases.
- Changing gender roles: While traditional gender roles allow men more freedom, women have been catching up for years. When mothers are more professionally and financially independent, the threshold for seeking validation outside the relationship decreases. The lack of interaction between gender and parenthood in the data supports this assumption.
- Digital opportunities: The pandemic shifted social contacts to the internet. Online chats or dating apps make affairs easier and more discreet. Women may be increasingly using these channels, reducing the gender gap.
- Evolutionary psychological and sociocultural factors: Men show an overall higher tendency toward infidelity, which is explained evolutionarily by lower parental investment and higher reproductive variance. Nevertheless, societal “sexual double standards” can more strongly prevent women from engaging in affairs; as these norms weaken, the rates converge.
Conclusion
The PLOS ONE study demonstrates that parents in heterosexual relationships were more likely to be unfaithful during the COVID-19 pandemic than childless individuals, and that this effect was the same for mothers and fathers. While men continued to report higher absolute rates of infidelity, the differences decrease as stress increases. Instead of stigmatizing infidelity as a solely male issue, debates should recognize the shared burdens of both genders and reflect on the structural conditions behind affairs. The empirical data put misandrist views of male infidelity into perspective without trivializing female infidelity: infidelity is a complex stress and relationship phenomenon that, under certain conditions, affects both genders similarly.