Financial Dependence And Infidelity

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It looks like there's something sexy about dependence.

The more men's wives depend on them financially, the more likely those men are to cheat. That's according to a paper presented by Cornell University doctoral student Christin Munsch at the American Sociological Association meeting in Atlanta today.

If the woman is the main breadwinner, it's unclear whether that makes her husband more likely to cheat-- unless he's Hispanic, in which case it "dramatically increases the likelihood" of infidelity, she writes in a summary of her paper on her university Web site.

But women who depend on their husbands are less likely to stray, she says. Other factors that lessen the tendency to infidelity include attending religious services, attaining a higher level of education, and reporting high levels of satisfaction in the relationship.