Survey Says: Most Women Have Stayed With a Cheater

Not all men cheat, but brothers who do usually show their true colors well before the affair. “How to Spot A Cheater” in our April issue shows you what signs to look out for if you suspect your man is stepping out on you. We asked more than 500 readers to share their experiences with a cheating man and the results of our exclusive poll may shock you. For starters, would you believe 63 percent of women surveyed admit they stayed in a relationship after the first time they caught their man cheating? But wait, there’s more.

How You Caught Him
These are the top 10 ways women caught their man cheat, and some of the answers you gave us for each category:

1. Changes in his behavior: (He became distant, changed his appearance, got new underwear, was MIA, went everywhere with phone, etc.) 35%
2. Technology gave him away: (Suspicious emails, texts, Facebook messages, calls on the phone bill, “I saw him on a dating site”, etc.) 22%
3. Woman’s intuition: (Instinct, a sign from God, dreams, sixth sense, gut feeling) 13%
4. The other woman told you: 10%
5. I found hard evidence: (A condom wrapper, makeup stains, suspicious receipts, scratches, hickies) 5%
6. Changes in our sex life: (He smells or feels different, he began introducing new sexual techniques, he shows diminished interest in sex, “he gave me an STD”) 5%
7. I caught him in the act: 3%
8. Other people told me: (My friends, his best friend, his sister, other woman’s husband) 3%
9. He told me:  3%
10. The other woman got pregnant: 1%

Have you busted a man who was heating? How did you find you? Did it make you more aware in your next relationship? For signs to spot a cheater and more results from our Infidelity survey, pick up the April issue of ESSENCE.