Men in high-power jobs or unemployed more likely to cheat
Sandy Verma August 26, 2025 11:25 AM

Cheater, cheater.

It turns out there is a certain breed of men who continue to cheat on their loved ones — and it has to do with either the type of job they have or the lack thereof.

According to a new study conducted by the Institute for Family Studies in a blog post, men in high-power positions — like CEOs, surgeons and physicians — and those unemployed are more likely to cheat than their counterparts.


Men who have high-power positions are more likely to step outside their marriage. Getty Images

Writer Wendy Wang studied occupational data from the General Social Survey (GSS) to conclude that 18% of men in these top positions have been unfaithful in their marriage.

And on the flip side of things, unemployed men ages 25 to 54 are more likely to have extramarital sex since about 1-5 of them have already cheated.

Studies have shown that men without jobs or those who rely on their wives for financial support feel inferior and insecure — often leading them to seek some sort of fulfillment elsewhere, meaning they too are major cheaters.

While men are often scorned for stepping outside their marriage, the truth is, women are not immune to being unfaithful. According to the GSS data, Wang found that 14% of women admit to cheating on their partner.


Shocked couple caught in bed together.
Studies have shown that unemployed men are also susceptible to cheating. Getty Images

However, when it comes to occupation, the difference between demographics is that women (21%) in low-prestige jobs are the ones more likely to cheat than those in higher-up positions (9%) — the opposite of men.

Thankfully, professional “honey trapper” Madeline Smith revealed the signs to look for to catch your partner cheating — particularly men.

If he hides his phone when the two of you are spending time together, your antenna should go up.

“When you’re out for dinner, or just on the sofa watching TV, does your man leave his phone face up or face down?” Smith asked in a column for the Daily Mail. “It may seem trivial, but ask yourself – what could possibly flash up that he doesn’t want anyone to see?”

“I think it’s rubbish when people say phones should be private,” she continued. “You can be anyone you want to be online (trust me, I would know), and you should recognize that your partner may feel insecure about your online activities.”

Another sign is if your partner never posts any pictures of the two of you on social media platforms.

“With my pregnant client, it was an immediate red flag that there were no pictures of her on his Instagram profile,” Smith said. “Even if he claims he never posts on social media, you should at least feature in his profile photo.

“Your partner should be proud to show you off,” she added. “If he’s not, it signals a lack of commitment.”

And if he won’t reveal his location — you’d better get ready to pack your bags and leave him.

“Nowadays, it’s normal to have your loved ones on location-sharing apps,” noted Smith. “One of the red flags I often hear is: ‘My husband’s location always seems to turn off with no explanation.’”

“Cheaters will come up with some excuse as to why they don’t want to share their location, but then insist that their girlfriend shares theirs,” Smith groaned. “Which leads me to my next red flag…”

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