More people are getting busted for cheating during lockdown

While some relationships may be thriving under the coronavirus lockdown, others will sadly not make it out the other side.

But it’s not just stress or financial pressure that is seeing couples decide to call it quits. It turns out, with people being stuck together 24/7 it becomes much harder to keep a secret, with more people getting busted for having affairs over the past months.

sad young lady removing her wedding ring after divorce decision
Cheaters are getting busted during lockdown. Photo: Getty

“Major issues like the coronavirus often cause increases in people questioning their relationships,” Fiona Reid, of Reid Family Lawyers, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

“Being isolated together without the distraction of work, socialising, and sport, often tends to show up cracks.”

And those cracks have included cheating.

Cheaters are getting caught right now

“The people who are juggling affairs are getting caught right now,” Chicago attorney Mitch Gordon told Vice News. “I’ve had multiple calls from people who are like, ‘Alright, before this I wondered, but figured no. And now it’s clear it’s happening.’”

It’s far tougher for people to hide their secrets from the partner when forced to spend every minute with them.

Robert Wallack, a New York attorney, added there is “more of an opportunity to uncover things”

“And whether it’s infidelity or whether it’s some type of financial impropriety, I would imagine that could cause someone to say, ‘I’ve had enough and I want out.’”

Man on his phone in bed next to sleeping partner
People are finding it more difficult to keep a secret. Photo: Getty

Not just cheating causing friction

Fiona says she has not surprisingly been receiving more calls from people with divorce-related questions or marriage problems.

“While history shows that a financial crisis is always followed by a spike in divorce rates, we now have the added pressure of isolation,” she tells us.

Aside from cheating and affairs, Fiona says those secretly battling addictions might also been uncovered.

“I have one client who recently came to see us who said that she had not noticed how bad her partner’s drinking was until she was spending all day with him,” Fiona says.

“She has a big job and they really only touched base for a couple of hours at the end of each day. Often this was with other friends and so on, so his problem with alcohol wasn’t so obvious.”

Shot of a couple having a disagreement at home
Some couples may be arguing more in quarantine. Photo: Getty

Why does being stuck together 24/7 put so much strain on relationships

Most of us usually have the outlets of socialising with friends, going to work, meeting to play or watch sport and so on, Fiona explains.

“Because of these distractions, people aren’t always focussed on their relationship and things which might be irritating or problematic about their partner,” she adds.

She also says juggling extra responsibilities such as homeschooling children due to the pandemic is putting extra strain on partners.

“People trying to home school their kids while juggling their own work from home obligations have found reaching compromises with their partners more difficult,” she says.

“They argue about how to support each other, which then snowballs into general dissatisfaction about their partner’s commitment to them and to the relationship and consideration for their needs.”

Read more: How to save your relationship in quarantine

Read more: How to keep the spark alive in the bedroom

Top three things couples are arguing over

A recent study revealed the top three things people are arguing over as they spend more and more time at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Wedding planning and relationship brand, The Knot, teamed up with relationship health brand, Lasting, to see how the coronavirus has really impacted couples.

The number one thing people are fighting about in isolation is how often they’re having sex, quickly followed by arguments on what they should spend their money on and how much mobile phone time their partner is having.

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