The Walk of Shame

Explicit content warning

02/21/23 • 35 min

Affairs have always been more dangerous for women than men. Throughout history women have faced persecution, shame and sometimes even death for cheating on their husbands. But are women still judged more harshly than men for cheating? In this episode, Jo is joined by cultural critic and anthropologist, Wednesday Martin, to explore the origins of shame surrounding female sexuality. We then meet "Catie," who had to move to a new city and get a new job to escape the fallout from her affair with her husband's best friend.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Previous Episode

Is Everyone Having an Affair These Days?

On the cusp of her seven year wedding anniversary, host Jo Piazza begins her investigation into female infidelity. For so long the trajectory for women has been that we would be good daughters, good wives, good mothers and good caretakers. But contemporary women have more choices and options and frankly they want more. In fact, the rate of infidelity among women has reportedly risen by about 40% since the early 1990s, while the rate of male infidelity has remained pretty much the same. So, what’s going on?

In this episode Jo meets "Nikki,” a mom of two in her thirties who had a marriage that looked great on paper, but was lacking the desire and passion she craved. When she looked for those two things outside of her marriage, she not only found the hottest sex she had ever had, but it also made her question why men have been allowed to call all the shots in relationships for so long. Jo also speaks with Susan Shapiro Barash, whose book this podcast is based on, and asks her what she’s learned from 30 years of research on female infidelity.

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Next Episode

Can One Partner Give You Everything?

Can one partner give you everything? In this episode, we talk to "Monique,” a woman in her fifties who was happy with her husband, but not getting her sexual needs fulfilled by him. "Monique" decided to explore her sexuality and desires outside of her marriage and her affairs have made her a better mother, a better wife, and helped her regain the identity she felt she lost after kids. She says that she thinks her husband might suspect she is having these affairs, but that he doesn't mind because of how they make her a better and more grounded person. Dr. Gail Saltz also joins to discuss the impact motherhood has on women’s sexual desire and we speak with sex expert Dr. Ashley Thompson who breaks down the myth that your spouse should be able to fulfill every one of your needs – a falsehood that can place a lot of pressure on a partner.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She Wants More - The Walk of Shame

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:00.520

When I look back on it now, I'm like, I put myself in this very dangerous situation on purpose, and I think that no regular relationship could even ever be that exciting because there was so much risk and danger. And I mean the danger was to my marriage, and the danger was to my identity and self respect. This is she wants more. I'm your host, Joe Piazza. Last week, we heard from a woman named Nikki about the twelve years that she's been cheating