Angela Philipps, Contributor

I do love it when readers send me suggestions on what to write about in my column, especially the men. They often bring up a topic I might not have otherwise thought of. After all, I am a 'Single in The City' gal, not guy! It's easy to forget about how the unhitched men are suffering. So guys, I apologise if you have felt left out, and please do not hesitate in asking for a certain subject to be brought up in the future!

So, why do women cheat? Is it for the same reasons as why men might do it? Are women more likely to cross that boundary when unhappy or neglected? Should a man take it personally?

Though some of these are not necessarily good excuses, women might cheat for several reasons:

1. She feels neglected by her man (he's spending too much time at work or out with his friends).

2. She is being physically or mentally abused by her man.3

. She has to stay late at work so often that she winds up getting herself involved with a man in the office.

4. If she has children and her man does not help out, she might be so overwhelmed that she gets tempted by a man who is kind to her and gives her the support she needs.

5. Upbringing can influence her actions - if she has seen either of her parents being unfaithful, this might cause her to do the same.

6. She knows that her guy is cheating on her, and she's doing it to get back at him.

7. She is a highly sexual person and feels that her partner is not satisfying her.

8. Simply put, she's a 'slapper' and cannot help herself (you don't want her if she is!)

Men and women, on the whole, think about sex in different ways. The former do not need the tender aspect of sex, while the latter want it to some extent. This, however, does not hold true if the woman is more like Samantha Jones in the show Sex and the City! By and large, ladies yearn for the soul of the man she is sleeping with, and so, if she is unfaithful, then there usually is an emotional reason for doing it.

It doesn't look good for you lads who've endured this kind of deceit, now, does it? What it means is that it is absolutely personal. She has done this because in her mind you are not good enough for her, or you have done something to push her into behaving this way. I am not implying that she is right. In fact I think that it's quite despicable to conduct oneself in this manner. But I do know that women tend to believe that their actions are completely justifiable when it comes to most things. She will have a 'good' reason as to why she has walked into another man's bedroom, regardless of what the reality is.

I have never cheated on a boyfriend I have been accused of doing so. This was bad enough, and to see the pain my accuser was in because he really thought that I had been unfaithful was unbearable. I can't imagine how I would have felt if I had cheated. But perhaps women don't consider the consequences they or their boyfriends/husbands might undergo after the fact. I'm not saying it's always easy to prevent a wandering eye, but if you love the person whom you're with, then truly it's not that difficult to stop your arms (and other parts of your body) from straying! And if you find yourself still lusting after another and just can't help yourself, then break up with your man before destroying his pride, ego and heart.

angelaphilippsja@hotmail.com