A recent study conducted by the Indian Army  states that soldiers-both jawans and officers should be allowed to take regular vacation and leaves.  It keeps the men of the army away from extra marital affairs and other flirtatious activities. This study was conducted by the Indian Army to promote women empowerment. It is a punishable offence in the army to have illicit romantic or sexual relations outside of marriage.

There has been a recent surge in extra marital relationships especially in the IT crowd living in Bangalore. About a decade ago there were just a handful detective agencies devoted to finding cheating spouses, but now there are many in Bangalore. This shows that there has been a steep rise in demand. What happens in a marriage that leads to this? Is it because the husbands are traveling for long periods?  Or is it because in general couples have become very busy with their work and their own schedules that they  hardly do any activities together.

Most of the studies conducted on the subject would have at least 60% of people saying monogamy is ideal for marriage. However a belief in monogamy hasn’t prevented folks from indulging in relationships outside marriage. Almost all popular TV shows are filled with extra marital affairs – yes it does add an interesting angle, multiple dimensions to the story, and maybe it also affects the subconscious of the people watching it.  In spite of knowing that relationships outside of marriage are bad for kids, careers, yet people indulge in it. In the IT crowd (of India) it has become so common place that nobody, even the couple in question is never shocked by an extra marital affair.

Is monogamy just a myth –which people believe but don’t practice?

Written by Suchitra Sharma