5 Reasons The Other Woman Slept With Your Man


other woman
Have you ever wondered what the "other woman" was thinking?


Farrah's article includes 6 reasons she slept with your man:


  • She's selfish
  • She has no morals
  • She's psycho
  • She's accessible
  • She's just that dumb
  • She's desperate

This list had over 18,200 Facebook shares. I'm assuming those who shared are the ones who have been betrayed in their relationships and want proof of the other woman's lack of worth and to demonize her. I was shocked to see a list of such amateurish quality as it had no depth to explain our human nature. Nor did it place responsibility on the male partner, with the exception of one sentence indicating his role. "The bottom line, though, is that your man cheated, and no matter what a piece of garbage the other woman is or what a moron she is, you still have to deal with the fact that you have a cheater on your hands."

Fortunately, I came across another article, "Why Women Cheat: A Married Man Goes Undercover On Ashley Madison" by Charles J. Orlando. As noted, Charles goes undercover on the "we're married, but let's have an affair" website known as Ashley Madison to discover what women are really seeking in the online affair game. His findings will parallel many of the points I will explain to better understand why the other woman slept with your man.

1. Women Want And Need Attention, Appreciation And Passion

In an article in the Huffington Post, Jennifer Garam wrote "Why I Had An Affair With A Married Man." She describes her affair experience.

"Before meeting David, I felt dead. But suddenly, I was alive, desired, and filled with passion and vitality… Overnight I went from years of celibacy to being naked on the floor of his office in the middle of the afternoon, constantly emailing and sexting, and having late-night dirty chats on Facebook. Consumed with thoughts of him, when we weren't together I was either lost in memories, reliving every detail of every second with him, or longing for him, trying to figure out the next time we could see each other."

She felt alive again, and that's a main component in the way we choose to have an affair. The thrill is too hard to avoid.

She goes further to explain, "This feels so good I don't want to walk away. I just want to follow this feeling wherever it goes. I have such an overactive conscience I couldn't even take a paperclip from work without being swamped with guilt, but for some reason entering into an affair with a married man didn't faze me."

As humans, we all have an erotic energy. The level of intensity of this energy varies just like our temperaments, both of which are innate aspects of who we are. When our erotic energy is out of sync, we will work to meet these needs even if doing so includes questionable choices with the potential for negative consequences.

You may still ask — why did she choose my man?

2. Your Man Showed His Willingness To Step Out Of His Relationship
Men have many of the same needs as women for attention, appreciation and passion. In addition to these needs, he wants to feel like a man — capable, sexy, wanted and valued.

If the other woman shows him that he is indeed capable, sexy, wanted and valued, then the chance of crossing relationship boundaries increases. The combination of unmet needs with available opportunities can lead to an affair. Your man is the number one reason why the other woman slept with him.

He consented.

The other women is actually not the issue because if it wasn't her, it likely would have been someone else. Stop blaming and demonizing her, and look at what you and your partner can do to repair the relationship.

3. Choosing A Married Man Can Be Safer Than Having A Real Relationship

Some women who have been in bad relationships don't want a commitment. The woman gets the appreciation and attention they crave while knowing the man could leave at a tip of a hat. Many women are not looking to 'steal' your man. They are looking for a thrill, for connection, for pleasure, and if he can give it to her, she'll take it. The chance your man will leave you for her is slim, and it is even slimmer still for that relationship to last.


Despite the desires to keep the relationship on a sexual level, emotions interfere and can cause fantasies of creating a true couple relationship. The other woman and your man have to work out the boundaries of the affair.

Remember, if he chooses the other woman over you, it was his choice to leave, not the mistress'.

4. They Are Looking For The Thrill
Dr. Valerie Golden reports in her Psychology Today article, "Why Women Want Married Men," that sneaking around has its thrills. The sex itself may be more lusty because it's clandestine. Having sex in the married couple's bed, for example, becomes a daring thrill full of lust and passion in a way not possible otherwise. The need to be secretive, sneak around undiscovered and grab quick sexual encounters on the fly can be a huge turn-on in comparison to a dinner date with a single man who calls on Wednesday night for Friday. Especially for rule-breakers, it's just more fun being naughty and bawdy. 



5. She Does It Just Because She Can
Yes, there is a difference between the "just because you can doesn't mean you should" line of thinking and the "just go for it" attitude. We make decisions everyday, some of them have little risk of consequences while others are hefty in the potential for negative effects. We can make any decision we want — I can smoke a cigarette in a restaurant, but I’m likely to have the consequence of being kicked out.

Affairs tend to have a high price-tag. However, both men and women use rationalizations that place the reward of the affair as higher than the negative consequences, as well as standing by the "what they don't know doesn’t hurt them" adage.

Yes, sleeping with your man is selfish, but your man sleeping with her — also selfish.

The language 'My Man' in our language and in this blog post has the connotation of ownership. We do not own people. Your Man' is actually a man that has chosen you as his partner.  We cannot change or control others. Even when we want to put our claws in, claim him and reaffirm his role in our life, it doesn’t mean he's yours.  He is only himself.

She slept with him because she could, and it was the same with him. It is not uncommon for our values and behavior to misalign at times.  This does not mean the other woman is without values, morals, intelligence and worth as Farrah Gray would have you believe.  It means that balancing values and behavior can be difficult.  Our Western society reaffirms life-long monogamy with our partner, and despite having the values and morals to support it, our biological nature can put a sledge hammer on our best intentions.

As Charles J. Orlando hypothesizes, women who were looking for an extra-marital affair with married men were looking to connect in some way and to fulfill their unmet needs in the current relationship. In his adventures, he found that women had the strong need for connection, attention and just pure sex.

Ultimately, she slept with your man not because of her lack of worth or values, but because:

  • Humans have innate needs
  • He was open to having sex with her
  • It's non-committal
  • She enjoys the thrill
  • She can

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Article contributed by
Advanced Member

Tiffany Anton

Sex Therapist

Tiffany Anton, LCSW

Anton Therapy Services, LLC

Location: Madisonville, LA
Credentials: LCSW, MSW
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