If you are wondering how to tell if someone will cheat, it really boils down to the person and the relationship — and not so much what they do for a living. That said, there may be some connection between someone's career and the likelihood that they'll cheat, according to research from the married dating website Ashleymadison.com.
The site surveyed 1,074 of its members earlier this year to find out which industry has the most people seeking an extramarital affair in 2018, and it found that the jobs with high stress levels seem to be the ones that breed infidelity.
According to a press release, "For the female survey respondents of Ashleymadison.com, the industry with the most cheaters is the medical profession (23 percent), an industry full of high intensity and highly stressful situations."
For males, stress also seemed to play a role. "Amongst the male respondents, working in the trades was the most common career (29 percent)," the press release says. "This type of work often places a person in danger whether it’s working at extreme heights, in tight spaces, or with heavy machinery meaning [there's] on the job stress they might bring home with them."
While an affair may be one way these folks relieve work-related stress, there's also the factor of professions with irregular job hours, such as trade or shift work, which might mean "it’s easier for men to fly under the radar when it comes to sneaking around with an affair partner,” said Isabella Mise, Director of Communications at Ashley Madison. And if it's easier for someone to cheat, they might be more interested in doing so.
The good news is, there are plenty of career fields associated with a lower desire to cheat, according to the survey. Here are seven of the career fields found with the lowest infidelity rate, plus possible reasons why that might be.
1Marketing & Communications: 6%
Only six percent of survey respondents who work in the marketing and communications field said they were interested in seeking an extramarital affair this year.
This falls beneath men who work in the trades at 29 percent, those in information technology at 12 percent, entrepreneurs at 11 percent, folks in retail and hospitality at eight percent, and men in finance at eight percent.
2Medical: 5%
Surprisingly, only five percent of males in the medical field were looking to have an affair this year, as compared to 23 percent of females. And while the medical field is stressful for anyone, how some females handle that stress may explain the numbers.
According to the press release, "Studies show that women release more oxytocin (the love hormone) than men do when dealing with stress. Because of this, women may feel more compelled to find an escape from those stresses."
This may be one possible reason why so many more females in the medical field are looking to have an affair this year, as compared to only five percent of males.
3Legal: 4%
Four percent of men in the legal field said they were looking to have an affair this year, according to the survey. And the same was true for female lawyers, who also came in at four percent.
The legal field is definitely stressful, but that correlation doesn't seem to be present here. It's anyone's guess.
4Education: 4%
Out of all the male respondents who work as teachers — or in the education field in general — only four percent were into the idea of cheating this year.
While nobody's saying teaching isn't stressful, it does make you wonder if this tendency toward fidelity has anything to do with the nature of their job.
5Arts & Entertainment: 3%
Under the umbrella of arts and entertainment, the survey found that only three percent of men in this field were interested in having an affair. This may seem surprising, but there ya have it.
6Agriculture: 3%
Only three percent of men who work in agriculture said they were interested in seeking an extramarital affair this year. So if you're looking for a partner who isn't as likely to stray, it may be a good idea to check your local farmer's market, and see if you can find a sweet and faithful farmer.
7Social Work: 2%
Coming in at only two percent, male social workers are the group who seem least interested in cheating in 2018. This is compared to nine percent for women in the same field.
Again, it's anyone's guess as to whether career factored into their decision to be faithful or unfaithful, seeing as Ashley Madison only polled its members, and didn't ask for an explanation. It is interesting info to consider, though, when thinking of cheating, and why some people may be more into the idea of an extramarital affair.
