Hey y'all! lookie here! a study on the topic involving over 1000 respondents. They found that about 40% of women report having cheated, and 32% of men report the same (chi-squared, p<.05). SO, yeah, there's a lot of cheating going on, but its not all of one group or another.
abstract from the article said:
We examined sex differences in the prevalence, incidence, reasons for, and consequences of infidelity. Participants (Study 1, 543 undergraduates in the Northwestern US; Study 2, 313 undergraduates and 233 community members in the Mid-Atlantic US), reported on infidelity by questionnaire. Using a broad definition of cheating, women reported being as unfaithful or more unfaithful than men. Men were more suspicious about cheating and more likely to discover the cheating than women. Women were more likely to break up with their partners, to begin new relationships after cheating, and to report reasons for cheating that may indicate a desire to switch long-term mates, such as being unhappy in the current relationship. Results are discussed in the context of evolutionary theory.
Brand, R. J., Markey, C. M., Mills, A., & Hodges, S. D. (2007). Sex differences in self-reported infidelity and its correlates.
Sex Roles, 57(1-2), 101-109. doi:10.1007/s11199-007-9221-5 (I would just attach the article, but that would be illegal)
p.s. this may only apply to the US however
abstract from the article said:
The purpose of this paper is to describe the prevalence of self-reported types of extradyadic romantic and sexual activity among adult Norwegians and to explore the role of infidelity in breaking up a permanent relationship. The results are based on 1,001 web interviews with persons ranging in age from 18 to 67 years. The majority of respondents reported having engaged in some kind of extradyadic romantic and/or sexual activity. Forty-five percent of the women and 39% of the men claimed they had experienced a previous breakup from a marriage or cohabiting relationship. Among those aged 50 years or older, the most important reasons for breaking up a previous relationship were infidelity (38%) and lost love (38%). More men (44%) than women (33%) reported infidelity. Respondents younger than 50 years were more motivated by boredom. Among respondents below the age of 50 years, the most frequently reported reasons for considering termination of a present relationship were quarreling (37%), poor sex life (29%), and “other” reasons (25%). Accordingly, infidelity was not identified as an essential factor for considering a breakup from the present relationship.
Træen, B., & Thuen, F. (2013). Relationship problems and extradyadic romantic and sexual activity in a web‐sample of Norwegian men and women.
Scandinavian Journal Of Psychology, 54(2), 137-145. doi:10.1111/sjop.12013
p.p.s. this difference could also be a result of different definition of "cheating"
Brand said:
For the purposes of this study, cheating was defined as "any form of romantic and/or sexual involvement, short or long term, including kissing, while the individual is in a relationship with another person."
as opposed to
Træen said:
Extradyadic romance and sexual activity was measured by the following questions: "When in a commited relationship, have you ever experienced ...[sic] falling in love and not doing anything about it; falling in love and doing something about it; kissing another person; dating another person; having sex with another person, or none of the listed acts." ... the term sex was not defined for the participants but sex is understood wider than sexual intercourse and includes oral, vaginal, anal, and/or mutual masturbation.
