The other woman a case study on why women engage in relationships with married men

Abstract

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country that gives high regard to the exclusivity of marriage. Laws have also been enacted to support marital sanctity. Still, there are women who engage in intimate relationships with married men. These women are called mistresses. This study aims to determine the reasons why women become mistresses. In doing so, this study also intends to distinguish factors behind the relationship engagement, identify self-evaluations of the mistresses, and to express their unheard side regarding the relationship. To meet the objectives, a case study was done on seven (7) women who are/ have been in an intimate relationship with married men for at least 1 year. The results of the interview following a life-history format revealed that women become mistresses because the relationship addresses unmet needs at that certain moment in their lives. Factors that affect their engagement in the relationships are: a) civil status, b) closest familial relationship, c) presence of infidelity in the family, d) negative past experiences, and, e) self-evaluation. The study found that these women’s perceptions of themselves are fueled by neutralizations and that becoming a mistress was not about promiscuity, for them it was about finding happiness at the moment that they weren’t.