Who Will Be Filling Your Partner's Stockings This Christmas?

As the work Christmas party looms should you worry about your partner's fidelity

A series of studies carried out by the free dating website Smooch.com and free gay cruising website Mancentral.com highlights that when it comes to trusting cheats, some gender divisions will never change.

With the festive season rapidly approaching, our minds are flooded with endless questions and dilemmas, “What shall I buy Mum this year?”, “Will I get socks again?”, “Ball-balls or Tinsel” and so on. But whilst you browse the department stores in search of the perfect gift, humming along to the Mariah Carey classic All I Want For Christmas Is You, consider whether your partner is singing from the same hymn sheet.

Members of the free dating website Smooch.com were asked: Once a cheat, always a cheat? A staggering 64% of women surveyed 'definitely' agreed with the statement compared with only 45% of men.

Interestingly, the results showed that men were more likely to forgive and forget with 36% of men believing that people make mistakes, whilst less than a quarter of women were inclined to accept the notion of human error.

However ladies, before you return your partner to the manufacturer for repair, it appears that this attitude is fitted as standard on the male species regardless of age or sexuality. Results from Man Central paralleled that of Smooch as 40% of gay men 'definitely' believed once a cheat, always a cheat.

But what can you really take away from this research? Well, for the ladies, if you do fall foul of the Babycham this Christmas over a third of men will forgive you. As for the men...nearly two thirds of women won't just be roasting chestnuts by an open fire this holiday season.

Additional breakdowns revealed:

• People with a PhD (67%) are almost twice as likely to respond 'Definitely' than those with a Masters Degree (34%).

• Unsurprisingly, divorcees (59%) are less forgiving than those who are married (29%).

• People in a relationship (19%) are nearly 4 times as likely to choose 'It's only cheating if you get caught' than Single respondents (5%).

• The starsign Cancer is least forgiving with 64% choosing 'Definitely' whilst the most forgiving starsign is Gemini with 34% choosing 'People make mistakes'.

A Tiger Never Changes His Spots?

A New Survey Reveals What Gay and Bisexual Men Really Think About Infidelity

Whilst the media whirlwind surrounding Tiger Woods’ series of encounters outside of his marriage transforms into a full-scale hurricane, a recent survey conducted by free gay chat website ManCentral.com highlights how gay men feel about cheaters.

In general, 41% of those surveyed believed that people make mistakes and were willing to forgive and forget. In contrast, 40% live by the age old mantra ‘Once a cheat, always a cheat’. Though the results indicate a relatively even divide between the two camps, there was marked difference in opinion between the ages.

Those aged 18-24 appear to be more liberal in their attitudes towards cheating with only 34% of them refusing to believe a leopard could change his spots. This stance gradually gains support through the age groups until it peaks at 54% of those aged 61 and above. The trend appears in reverse for those who accept that people make mistakes, with 46% of those aged 18-24 believing mistakes happen, compared to only 24% of those aged 61 and above.

So are the youngsters more promiscuous, or are the older generations clinging onto the fading utopian ideal of monogamy?

Strange as it may seem, 20% of gay couples argue that it is only cheating if you get caught whilst a further 22% of married gay men adopt the same view. It is worth noting that men who describe themselves as 'married' are largely married to women; consequently this may affect their perception of cheating if it is with someone outside of their dominant sexual preference.

Well, it would appear that Tiger may take comfort in the support from the gay community and sight the words of a few members of Man Central in his apology to his wife Elin Nordegren: One member suggests, “It depends on how you are defining [the word] ‘cheat’”. In an intriguing first for a survey on Man Central, one member offers his questionably professional opinion:

“A cheat is usually the result of an unhappy relationship […] Of course there are people who always cheat. This can be solved by personally therapy, and is generally related to upbringing. It’s a complicated issue, but one that can only be solved by philosophy and psychology.”

We’ll be sure to send Tiger our copy of Psychology and Philosophy for Dummies straight away.

Additional breakdowns revealed:

• 44% of gay men responded 'Definitely' compared to 32% of Bisexual and 28% of Curious men.
• Men in Aberdeen are more likely to forgive, with 83% citing mistakes happen.
• Cheats should steer clear of Edinburgh with only 13% willing to forgive and forget.
• 'Large' men (52%) are more than twice as likely to ditch a cheat than 'Very Slim' guys (21%). 

ManCentral.com polled 1,998 members over a 24 hour period. Detailed statistics & breakdowns available on request.