Irish women are the fastest in Europe to cheat on their husbands, according to research from a website that specialises in extra marital affairs.
The figures from Victoria Milan showed that on average Irish women embark on an affair just 3.6 years after their wedding day.
The site has 5.8 million users across the world, including 70,000 in Ireland, so there is plenty of data to go on.
It found that the average age for an Irish woman to get married was 31.6 years, while the average age they started an affair was 35.2.
Swedish women were in second place, on average cheating on their partner 4.1 years after getting married. In the UK, women started to cheat after 4.4 years.
Norwegian, French, Danish, German, Portuguese, Greek and Italian women were also in the top ten.
Founder and CEO of Victoria Milan Sigurd Vedal said that women are now more independent than ever and are therefore ever more willing to seek a ‘new adventure’.
Mr Vedal said: “The results of this research are fascinating, as they reveal how much time many women are willing to invest in a marriage before seeking new adventure.
“In Ireland, married women starting an affair tend to wait between three and four years after getting married, which suggests their craving for fresh passion is higher than many of us would expect.
“In Scandinavia and France, of course, views on sexuality and romance are famously different to those in the UK, so it’s a surprise to see women more likely to start affairs in less time there than in the aforementioned countries.
“Of course, regardless of the nation in which a woman lives, Western women’s continued independence and equality means they may well feel more inclined to follow their own desires than worrying about society’s reaction.”
Mr Vedal also suggested that cheating may actually strengthen a marriage rather than cause lasting harm.
He said: “If having an affair will help to reignite a woman’s passion and help her realise just how much she loves her partner, who can blame them for cheating? Life is short, after all!”
