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Extramarital sex in the Netherlands

Motivations in social and marital context

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Abstract

This investigation of the social psychological and demographic variables associated with extramarital sexual and erotic involvement was carried out on a heterogeneous sample of 250 subjects. About one-quarter of the men and one-fifth of the women reported extramarital coital experience during the past year. The results indicate that subjects with higher educational backgrounds and no church attendance are relatively more involved in extramarital relations. Determinants of extramarital sexual and erotic behavior appear to be quite similar for both sexes.

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Author's Note: This research was supported by a grant from the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement of Pure Research (Z.W.O.). Special appreciation is due to Dr. R. Meertens, Dr. M. Nawas, and members of the editorial board for their advice and helpful comments; and to F. van Winkel for his help in analyzing the data. A copy of the scales used in this study may be obtained from the author.

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Buunk, B. Extramarital sex in the Netherlands. J Fam Econ Iss 3, 11–39 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01083027

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