We’ve been told the rich are different, but when it comes to marital behavior, there’s an uncanny resemblance to the rest of us.
A recent survey by Prince and Associates, trackers of the behaviors and habits of the wealthy, shows that when it comes to infidelity, the rich bear an uncanny resemblance to their poorer cousins.
With a net worth from $1 million to over $10 million, of the 433 respondents who were willing to fess up about an affair, more were women (61%) than men (31%).
Their reasons for cheating fell into four categories:
Variety and excitement 64%,
Lack of interest in their spouse 48%
Feeling special or important 37%,
Revenge 19%.
Obviously, those percentages add up to more than 100%, so some of the respondents must have cited more than one of these reasons.
Even though 30% said they were considering a divorce, the men are hanging in there because:
Cost is the main obstacle 75%
It would hurt business dealings 61.5%
It would hurt the kids 7.7%
As for the financially independent women, no less practical than the men, the factors are similar except that the women placed slightly more emphasis on the kids (14%).
Anything we can conclude from this? If surveys provide a snapshot of a larger population, it appears that money can’t buy love, that monogamy is difficult even when you’re rich, and that happiness is elusive no matter who you are.
The main difference between infidelity among the wealthy and the not so rich may be whether they’re cheating at the Motel 6 or the Ritz. Either way, it’s the kids who suffer.
For more on the survey, check out http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/08/wealth-matrimony-millionaires-biz-cx_lm_1009rich.
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