I’ve long heard of men cheating on their wives in Africa with no consequence and as a result increasing the spread of AIDS, but I also recall it’s almost taboo for the wife to do anything other than stand by. As you may or may not know, rapper Akon is from Senegal, Africa and supposedly practices polygamy with his three wives although this may just be a rumor to increase buzz. Buzz or not, he has gone on record stating that all Africans believe in polygamy.

Well, AllAfrica.com is reporting that women are starting to get revenge on their husbands by having their own extra-marital affairs.

For long, the society has tolerated married men having extramarital affairs. It is an almost forgone conclusion that a man has to cheat on his wife or partner at any one time.

This is why there are expressions like “Men are polygamous by nature“.

The traditional African society also advocated polygamy.

Today, a high number of men continue to have mistresses and often get away with a mere slap on the wrist once their wives catch them.

But there is now a worrying trend of wives cheating on their husbands. This is more common among urban women, although similar cases have been reported in the rural areas.

In the West, cheating by both husbands and wives is common.

In the US, couple therapists report a 50 per cent increase in female infidelity. In 2004, Newsweek magazine carried a main story detailing how wives were cheating on their husbands: “The New Infidelity: from office affairs to Internet hook-ups, more wives are cheating too,” read the title of the article.

It’s fascinating to look at other countries and how their cultures view the roles in a relationship.

Personally, this is another reason why I don’t believe that marriage necessarily works all the time. Statistics are beginning to prove that point as well.

Here are a few other interesting stories of African wives cheating on their husbands:

Daisy Cheats With A Younger Man

Daisy, 38, decided to have an affair as a form of revenge when she discovered that her husband was cheating on her.

“I was very hurt and confronted him but he denied. After this, he went back to his mistress,” she says.

Daisy says the affair made her feel that she had “scored equally” with her husband.

“I feel triumphant. He started it, so it is tit for tat,” she says.

But Daisy is positive that her husband does not know about her dark little secret. She is sleeping with a man younger than her, which, she says, “adds to the thrill”.

Mercy Cheats Because She Feels Her Marriage Has Gotten Boring

Mercy who has been married for 10 years with three children, has been in an extra-marital affair for three years.

“I am doing this because the excitement in my marriage is dead. Everything, including lovemaking, has become a routine,” she says.

Mercy says the first five years of marriage were bliss. But after the second baby, matters took a nose-dive.

“I was a mum and a career woman. My husband was also engrossed in his job and soon, we hardly made love,” she says.

She adds that her husband no longer pays much attention to her.

“After some time, I met a married man at a friend’s wedding and the attraction was mutual.

“The man appreciates me and he is not boring. He has made me very happy and injected meaning into my life. I have no doubt that I love my husband, but I need more since I am a human being with emotions,” she says.

Mercy says she is no longer disgruntled in the bedroom because she is getting “hot loving” elsewhere.

“I believe this affair is keeping my marriage together, although I have to be very discreet because I never want my husband to find out,” she says.

Mary Cheats On Her Husband So They Can Have Nice Things

Mary’s story almost borders on the sleazy. She is having an affair with her boss because she needs money to supplement her income.

She says her husband is a casual laborer and his wages can hardly sustain the family.

“I love my husband and I would never want him to find out. He does not know how much I earn and thinks that the extra cash is out of my own sweat,” says the office clerk.

As “Democracy” and western culture continues to permeate through to other countries, I wonder if we’ll see more empowered women cheating on their husbands. Whether out of loneliness, greed, or revenge. Or perhaps it’s always been happening. These women are just becoming more willing to talk about it.

Tags: cheating, wife, husband, men, women, africa, aids, infidelity, affair, marriage, divorce, abuse, greed, money, akon