Who is the Other Woman? Disclaimer: This may be a difficult article for some of you to read. Before reading, take a moment to consider how far along you are in recovery. Those who are newer to recovery will not be able to process the information in this article from an objective perspective. The information is important to understand, but the last thing we want to do is to cause unnecessary pain. Our suggestion is to wait until you are further along in recovery so you will be able to truly absorb all the article has to say. For those of you in this position, we suggest reading instead our 6-part "How Could You?" Series. Who is the other woman? Who is the other man? Is she a home wrecker, a floozy, a bimbo? Is he a bad boy, a tough guy or a brainiac? Is he or she someone to be hated or pitied? And... why would I even want to know the answers to these questions? The answer to that question can profoundly influence your ability to release what's happened and move on to a new life. Many run from this question. I hope you won't run but will be courageous and have this painful but meaningful conversation. Please note: Due to Affair Recovery demographics, I am writing this article as though the man had the affair and was involved with another woman. If I were to write this article as though the woman had the affair and was involved with another man, different dynamics would come into play. I sincerely hope that our betrayed males will be able to see parallels to their own story and derive helpful insight as well. There is never a good excuse for what the other woman (the affair partner) has done. However, remaining forever tied to the other woman as a result of unforgiveness leaves the betrayed spouse anchored to the past and creates the opportunity for all parties involved to remain stuck. Typically, moving forward, either as a couple or as an individual, requires you to shift to a realistic understanding of who she is. Usually, the unfaithful spouse needs to stop overvaluing the other woman, and the betrayed spouse needs to stop devaluing the other woman. Hopefully, exploring who they are will enable both the hurt and the unfaithful spouse to release and move forward in freedom. Labeling the other woman as a tramp (or other expletive) may prevent your betrayed spouse from ever moving forward. In reality, there's a bit of good in the worst of us and a bit of bad in the best of us. Failure to see more than just the negative aspects can block your ability to set yourself free from their hurtful actions. Seeing the other woman as human doesn't excuse what she's done, but it does help you gain a clearer picture of reality, which will in turn prepare for you a pathway to forgiveness. Join others who have been betrayed and find freedom from the hurt with the online, anonymous course,Harboring Hope. Registration opens TODAY at Noon CT. Use the button below to learn more about Harboring Hope and enroll in this restorative course. Register For Harboring Hope! Remember, forgiveness is a gift you give yourself to set yourself free. It's not for the sake of the unfaithful spouse nor does it have anything to do with being around the other woman. Forgiveness can free you from losing your peace of mind whenever you are reminded of the pain and hurt. Our experience shows that a major barrier to recovery for the betrayed spouse is an unrealistic view of the other woman. While incredibly challenging, the wife needs to develop a fuller understanding of the affair partner as a human being if she wants to fully recover. For married men in an affair with a married woman, the affair can be more of a diversion, while for the married woman, it can become their life. This woman is usually married and looking for traits that are missing in her husband. Married men in affairs with single women are likely to view the relationship as entertainment or a distraction. Single women, on the other hand may view the affair as a pathway to the life they want. Little do they realize, the odds are not in their favor. Jan Halper's survey of over 4,100 prominent men revealed that 85% of those who cheated returned home to their families, and only 3% of those who got divorced and maintained their affair relationship, got married to that person.1 The following list briefly explains a few of the most common types of affair partners. Remember betrayed women, these are generalizations with the intent of humanizing the other woman so that you can eventually find peace and healing. The Rebound Affair In rebound affairs, the script gets flipped. The betrayed spouse goes out and has an affair in response. Many of you reading this are righteously indignant feeling you would never be the “other woman” in an affair. You may be right, but a large number of the affairs we treat are the result of rebound affairs. One potential consequence suffered by the betrayed spouse is the devastation of the significance of their marriage vows. Pain that's not transformed will be transmitted, and in an attempt to make their mate feel their pain, they betray themselves and indulge in the same behavior as their mate. In an attempt to get back at their mate, these betrayed spouses suddenly find themselves as the “other woman.” That means the other woman you are facing may have started out as a betrayed spouse similar to you, only she couldn't stand the pain and acted drastically. Many who've been betrayed are tempted, but strong morals and values, as well as their commitment to the marriage, prevent them from taking this course. Tragically, those who give in not only prolong their own pain, but also transmit their pain to their mate and to another woman as well. The Married Other Woman While this may be stereotypical, the "married other woman" has often become disillusioned with her mate and connects with someone she believes can supply the happiness her mate has failed to deliver. These women have typically watched their marriage fade away for years and feel completely detached from their husband as a result of years of neglect. Again, this does not justify their actions, but you can see how no longer valuing their own marriage would make it easy to push their guilt away enough to begin an affair. The Abuse Reactive Other Woman At times, the other woman is a person who was abused growing up. This person is motivated by identity wounds created by that abuse. Seeing themselves as damaged may create a desire to reinforce that belief by acting out in ways that degrade themselves and others. Frequently, the only way they can feel loved is when they act out sexually. Their desperation to feel loved drives them into an affair. Again, this in no way justifies what they've done. Years ago, I had a woman come in who fit this category. When I asked what I could do for her, she responded, "I've had sex with over 250 men, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I've never had an orgasm." "Why did you have sex with all those men?" I asked. "Because that moment when we're sexual is the only time I ever feel loved." Our sessions together revealed extreme sexual abuse by her father from age six to twelve. The abuse destroyed the inhibitors that should have prevented her from acting out with other men. Once again, pain that's addressed and not transformed will be transmitted. The Abuse Reactive Other Woman often emerges from dysfunctional families even where sexual abuse did not occur. Sometimes it stems from excessive sexual activity as a teenager. If a woman sees her mother disrespected or abused by her father, the child may see her mother as weak and pathetic. This may lead her to become the Liberated Other Woman (description below), never wanting to depend on a man the way her mother depended on her abusive father. The same is true of a woman who was 'spousified' by her father. As a child, her father shared his pain, success, and frustrations with his daughter rather than his wife. It may not be sexual, but it is emotional incest. As a result, she lived in a triangle, feeling sorry for her dad because of how her mom was treating him. She failed to see that her mom's reactions were the result of her father's neglect because the information shared was one-sided. Once grown, this woman is susceptible to repeating that same triangle with a married man. In her mind, she competes with the wife, despising her for the way she believes the wife is treating the husband. Little does she know, the husband, like her father, is distorting who their mate really is. Living in the triangle feels normal to them. The Subordinate Other Woman Frequently, this younger woman falls for an older man, often at the workplace. The distinction of this woman is the power differential between herself and the married spouse. The attention paid by someone she respects and the allure of getting ahead allows her to justify the affair. Once the affair begins, this person believes their affair partner when they say they are going to leave their spouse to begin a life with the younger woman. That belief can keep them hanging on for years as they wait. While this person may be naïve, they are certainly not a victim, but neither is the married man who is using them. The Desperate Other Woman This woman is someone who's willing to settle for scraps. She has such low self-esteem, she is willing to take whatever time she can get. She's available at his beck and call, but when demands are placed on him, she rarely warrants a response. Fear of losing the relationship keeps her hanging on, especially since she has no real sense of self. The Liberated Other Woman This career-minded woman enjoys her freedom and wants relationships with no strings attached. She typically has affairs with married men she feels comfortable with. If one of her partners begins to get attached, she will quickly send him packing, at times leaving the married spouse feeling rejected and acting like a lovesick puppy. This woman probably has no real relationships, and thus cannot wrap her mind around the effects of her actions. The Conned Other Woman There are some women who've been conned by the married man. In these cases, the woman has no clue that the man is married. When she finally finds out, it's devastating for her. The length of the relationship and the depth of the bond determine how devastating the loss of the relationship. Generally, these women feel they've been made the fool. The last three categories are adapted from Shirley Glass' book "Not Just Friends". 2 The Antagonist Other Woman This woman betrays other women by stealing their husbands. She views other women as rivals and feels no need for loyalty to or identification with her own gender. She does not regard herself as a "sister" to other women. She seldom has other women as friends and leans on men to enhance her fragile ego and gratify her emotional needs. The Escapist Other Woman To deny the existence of his wife and family, the escapist affair partner puts the marriage out of mind and out of sight. She never asks questions about his other life. She doesn't consider any repercussions from their illicit affair because the time she spends with her beau is an escape into an alternate reality. The Family Counselor Other Woman Assuming the role of family therapist is another way to assuage guilt. The other woman offers insights to improve her suitor's communication with his children and to help him understand his wife's point of view. Acting partly out of real concern and partly out of self-preservation, she tries to make things better. Laurel Richardson says that the single woman affair partner does "feminist social work among the married."3 As a result, the affair partner perceives herself as a good person who makes positive contributions to her partner's family life. Moving On If you've made it this far, let me reiterate that I'm in no way trying to excuse the other woman. I'm also not saying you have to change a thing in how you view the other woman. I am suggesting you might want to consider the possibility that the situation isn't as black and white as you may think. My hope for all of you is to get free from the marrow-sucking, life-robbing crisis of infidelity. I believe one way that goal is accomplished is by expanding our understanding of those around us and hopefully coming to a point where we can set ourselves free by finding compassion in our hearts for those who have so gravely wounded us. I would grieve if the hurtful actions of others rob you of your humanity. Finally, one of three things will occur with great suffering: You will go insane You will become forever bitter and resentful You will learn to love greatly and have great compassion. The road to the third outcome isn't easy, but it's a goal well worth pursuing. For the sake of others remember: pain that's not transformed will be transmitted. Have the courage to allow your pain to be transformed for your sake and for the sake of those who love you. If you are still having trouble with the idea of pain leading you to love greatly, you are not alone. It seems backwards, and I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't experienced it myself. The trick is having community to walk with you through the process. If you'd like to see if it's truly possible to be free again, consider our upcoming EMS Weekend where we not only seek to help couples transform their pain, but also find new life individually as well as maritally. Registration for Harboring Hope Opens TODAY at Noon CT! You don't have to do this alone! Join other betrayed mates on the path to healing with our life-changing Harboring Hope online course. With Harboring Hope, learn how to weather the pitfalls and hardships following infidelity and start a better, brighter chapter. "I just completed the Harboring Hope program. My husband was unfaithful to me emotionally, physically and sexually with a co-worker. What I wished I would've known is that forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things. People who refuse to forgive can never live their own lives, they are too busy obsessing about the life of the one who hurt them. They are stuck. They are unable to enjoy friends, family or even their children. They imprison themselves in a bondage of their own making. I definitely recommend the Harboring Hope program as a support for healing. To be in a safe community with other women who know what you're going through and how you're feeling is comforting. Whether you're able to reconcile or not, there is hope." - M., Michigan | HH Participant, April 2021. Space is limited! Use the button below to learn more about Harboring Hope and enroll in this restorative course. Register For Harboring Hope! Sections: NewsletterFounder's LaptopFree ResourcesHot Off the PressRL_Category: For The Hurt SpouseHow to ForgiveTypes of AffairsRL_Media Type: Text Add New Comment: Comments Praying for the OW Submitted by TIFFANY on Thu, 01/07/2021 - 11:23 I am going to try to pray for the other woman. Maybe that will help me find some peace. Thank you for sharing. reply The ‘other woman’ are men... Submitted by Jenni Norlin-Weaver (not verified) on Wed, 01/06/2021 - 09:15 My husband is bisexual and failed to discuss that realization with me - for more than 30 years. Over that time there have been many many partners. It’s extra difficult to feel the hurt of betrayal when so many - really almost all - therapy and support resources target heterosexual situations as though that’s all that exists. In this situation we both are experiencing trauma that’s not easy and not well addressed... reply The other wo(man) Submitted by NORM on Wed, 01/06/2021 - 09:20 I appreciate the disclaimer that we are talking about the other woman because of the demographics of cheating. I assume this means that because men cheat on their wives more than wives cheat on their husbands that we capture the greatest audience by addressing this article to the wives whose husbands have betrayed them. We clearly need more resources for men whose wives have betrayed them. Every time I read such a disclaimer with no link to resources for betrayed husbands, it reminds me of just what a terrible husband I must have been because I am in such a small minority. My intellectual self can shift that thought to the fact that my wife has her own shortcomings that led her to that action but the emotional self still takes a hit. And, the hit ends up being a double hit in that rather than receiving help for my needs as a betrayed man, I am encouraged to just figure it out myself. In many ways, I think that the infidelity therapy community has fallen short for betrayed men. We take the double hit of being betrayed by our wife and then not receiving the help that we need to overcome the first blow. I write this as a plea for more work to be done for men in this regard. reply Affair partner is porn Submitted by Leticia on Wed, 01/06/2021 - 09:41 What about when the affair partner is millions of women? reply Loving MYSELF greatly Submitted by Lala S (not verified) on Wed, 01/06/2021 - 11:01 It’s very disingenuous for you to give those three options at the end, strongly suggesting that anyone who doesn’t choose to reconcile with, and “love greatly,” their cheating spouse is either insane or bitter/resentful. For many of us, the solution is to leave our confused, self-centered, emotionally adolescent spouses and love ourselves. Maybe we’ll love another partner in the future, but it’s fine to work on healing by ourselves for a while, instead of pushing more romance in the wake of terrible suffering. In her section addressed to affair partners (she also assumes they’re women), Shirley Glass writes, “A man with a history of infidelity is a poor choice for a life partner.” If that’s true for affair partners, why is it not also true, in general, for betrayed spouses? Please stop gaslighting us. We don’t have to vilify or hate affair partners to realize they were complicit in our abuse. We don’t have to vilify or hate our former spouses to realize they are not likely to become safe for us after a weekend. My STBX cheated on me twice, 14 years apart, and I overlooked years of “affair lite” behaviors like inappropriate friendships with people STBX was attracted to. This was despite years of therapy undergone by STBX - the ongoing weekly therapy sessions is one of the reasons I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that STBX was actively cheating again. The only way to heal from trauma, for me at least, was to get away from the ongoing passive-aggressive emotional abuse. I now have type 2 diabetes from all the toxic stress I endured while trying to reconcile the second time, plus other physical effects of long-term stress. Don’t let this be you, betrayed spouses! And Affair Recovery should be honest about the real impacts on betrayed spouses of long-term emotional abuse and trauma, and stop gaslighting us in our pain. reply Same boat Submitted by trying to forgive on Fri, 01/29/2021 - 11:59 I am in the exact same boat! No idea how to get away from it. Just when I think I'm making progress she will find a way to get to me. Small town with very close connections (her sister is one of my close friends). She does all she can to try to keep us from moving forward. reply The other women Submitted by Jeannie Filice (not verified) on Wed, 01/06/2021 - 11:58 I just listened to your talk on the other women. My husband had an affair with another married women. However they choose to manipulate and use their spouses by getting us to become "friends". He asked it this couple could come to a party we were having (she knew some other women that were coming) and I of course I said yes. The more the merrier I thought. At this time they had secretly been talking, texting meeting up for walks behind my back for 3 months. About a month later after the party and numerous get togethers with her and her husband plus some friends they start having sex. She actually would text me to see about going out to dinners or walks as couples. My question is what kind of other women is this???? I know she had 2 other affairs before my husband and her husband had at least one. I just can't wrap my head around another sitting with my kids while she is sleeping with their father or going out to dinner with me. Also can't wrap my head ariund my husband who would take me out to dinners with a girl he was sleeping with. If you can shed any light on this type of women tjat would he helpful. reply Can the OW be a combination Submitted by Tmrs on Wed, 01/06/2021 - 13:25 Is it possible for the OW to transition from one to another over time? I feel in my situation the OW began as a rebound affair, but she has since divorced her husband. I wonder if she is now one of the others. reply Other Woman Submitted by From NJ (not verified) on Wed, 01/06/2021 - 13:46 This was really interesting and helpful. There’s a category missing however. The addict who is a serial dating app user. My husband was dating multiple women simultaneously. I’m struggling with the volume but also with what drew him to each one. None lasted very long. But, I struggle with how to get past it. We had to get a restraining order against one who came to our house and left letters for me and my teenage son detailing their affair. We are both in recovery and I chose to stay. This has been the biggest battle for me. Thank you for addressing it. reply Not cut and dry Submitted by Professor D (not verified) on Wed, 01/06/2021 - 13:56 I feel that the OW fit into 3 of the categories mentioned in the article. She is married, but for less than 9 years and when I first met her, she was all over her husband, and was telling him how much she loved him. Less than a year later, however, she was doing the same to MY husband. So she doesn't fit quite neatly into the married woman category that has just grown distant. She was a subordinate to my husband, and it is clear she has a thing for bosses as she began flirting with him the minute she started working there. And she also is the type that doesn't have a lot of female friends and doesn't care who she hurts. She pretended to be my best friend while screwing around with my husband. She was a great actor and manipulator and she lied with great skill. She also admitted to having no guilt over it. So how do I place her in any of the categories? I feel like she is just a narcissist, and it's really hard to humanize her at all. reply Since you mentioned it... Submitted by Roger Finnell (not verified) on Thu, 01/14/2021 - 10:44 As noted in the article...“ If I were to write this article as though the woman had the affair and was involved with another man, different dynamics would come into play.” Sounds like a great follow-up piece! I, along with the other BHs, are looking forward to it. reply Wow! This did put things Submitted by Learning to Forgive (not verified) on Sun, 08/07/2022 - 19:13 Wow! This did put things into perspective. Hard part is I am in that 3% category. My ex is now engaged to the woman he cheated on me with. Now I’m learning how to forgive her and him even though it’s in my face and we have 3 children involved. Forgiveness and moving forward. reply I have forgiven my husband Submitted by LunaR on Wed, 12/06/2023 - 15:03 I have forgiven my husband and am leaving him until he does the necessary work on himself. I believe I am at the point where if I could figure out the other woman and forgive her, then I could move forward. I just don't know where to start. I've been married for over 22 years and one of my UH's affair partners was his ex-wife. Unbeknownst to me, they had a sexual relationship during our entire marriage. She claims to be a christian woman, but honestly I've never gotten to know her as a person. Her and my husband had a child together and so there were a lot of joint sports and school activities in the early years of our marriage where the two of them were together. I was alway discouraged to attend. My husband fed the bitterness between his first wife and me until it grew to enormous proportions. I don't understand how his ex-wife (who has remained single this entire time) could engage in this type of sexual relationship knowing he was happily married. I use the word happy, because I was happy. In order to forgive and move on, I would like to forgive HER. She constantly enters my thoughts and I catch myself constantly comparing myself to her - even though I am completely happy with the person that I am. What type of affair partner is SHE, and how can I get her out of my head? reply Getting her out of your mind Submitted by michael johnston (not verified) on Wed, 12/06/2023 - 16:17 While you have come a long way, you must learn to see yourself in the true light of your greatness. Does it really matter if she is a better woman or worse woman? What matters is that no matter how good or bad you were, it was his mistake. His loss. Even if you eventually get back together, he will never have the chance to have a pure love with you. He can build it back up but will never be pure again. She is not even worth your time in this short life. If you found it in your heart to forgive him, it should be easier to forgive her. In essence, you are forgiven the same person. Its your heart that will heal. You will grow into someone your proud of, because you came back stronger from a broken heart. reply Forgiving the other woman/husband? Submitted by Ana Regalado (not verified) on Thu, 12/07/2023 - 11:36 I don't think my husband is telling me the truth. He claims that it was her that made him have the affair by taking him to an apartment and getting naked in front of him. He claims that he ( got amnesia and forgot that we existed) and fell on top of her. He blames it on her. But he chose to take off his clothes and he chose to lay with her. It was HIS choice, she didn't force him. I can't forgive or forget. I'm having a hard time getting past this. I've been told that with time I will but I don't see how. reply Fell on her? Submitted by Handmaiden on Wed, 12/13/2023 - 17:39 Was there a bananna peel involved in that slip? Sounds alot like money business... reply You tell us about “The Submitted by True_Love_91 on Thu, 12/07/2023 - 08:33 You tell us about “The Antagonist Other Woman This woman betrays other women by stealing their husbands. She views other women as rivals and feels no need for loyalty to or identification with her own gender. She does not regard herself as a "sister" to other women. She seldom has other women as friends and leans on men to enhance her fragile ego and gratify her emotional needs.” How do we forgive that? reply Other women Submitted by Handmaiden on Wed, 12/13/2023 - 17:45 Hard to eliminate other women. Like Lil Debbie cakes...the are everywhere if you want one. The Bible refers to them as weak-minded women. I guess they are a logical match for a strong willed man...especially for an addiction or hunger for cake... reply The Other Woman...was she a god-send to my husband? Submitted by ckuhner8 on Wed, 12/13/2023 - 12:51 My husband is a retired Christian minister. He was previously married when he was younger, but it soon ended in divorce as his wife was a serial cheater and soon abandoned the marriage without any remorse or apology. This left him feeling crushed and abandoned. He did attend a weekend retreat shortly afterwards and claimed that he resolved these issues before we met. However, I wonder if that experience continued to taint our 40 year marriage from the beginning, later contributing to his emotional affair, only 8 years into our marriage. Yes, he pursued a close, personal and secretive relationship wiith another woman for over 32 years until DDay when I began to discover hundreds of texts, emails and calls. We have 5 children, one who is now an adult disabled child and lives with us. Our children think we have a model marriage. I have spent a lot of time dealing with family health issues, including his. That included caregiving elderly parents who were both in wheelchairs an lived states away. I would take my disabled child to drive to care for them a week every other month. It was traumatic for me and our house fell into a shambles.. I became exhausted and emotionaly numb. When I came home, he tried to get me back onboard by calling me a "hoarder" and a "mental case", neither of which I could deny or had the energy to even defend against. Once my parents both passed away, 12 years later, I felt as though I was slowly starting to regain strength to begin picking up the pieces. That's when I disccovered the emotional affair. We are now both in recovery through AR resources. Now, my delimma is that, although he expresses remorse for hurting me, he vehemently denys any remorse for engaging in the extramarital relationship. He truly believes that GOD orchestrated the relationship with his partner, an old girlfriend from HS. They reconnnected at a HS reunion 32 years ago. She was also in her second, albeit "unhappy" marriage. I never knew about her. 5 kids and 40 years later. Ive heard countless reasons why he felt he needed that emotional relationship for comfort, support, encouragement and help "confronting" me with issues. Apparently, he was also in an "unhappy" marriage, although I thought we had no more problems that the average marriage except for numerous famliy health issues. He claims that he and the AP were only concerned for improving their respective marriages and always ended their conversations by praying. Their conversations focused on bemoaning their spouses faults and their inabilities to fix them. They exposed personal and private information about their spouses, including bedroom dissapointments and other marital issues. However, they also professed undying love for each other and even shared love songs, all the while pointing out and making fun of their spouse's seemingly endless inadequacies. She claimed her husband knew about her talking to my husband, probably omitting the part about the depth of their feelings for each other or their topics of conversations which included his sexual inadequaces, or intentionally planning to talk when he was at work. On the other hand, my husband never revealed anything at all about his relationship with her. Big shocker. After getting caught, he claims he has ended the relationship but gives GOD AND HER credit for helping to save his marriage. Again, he believes that GOD had this all planned out to give him "his wife back". Of course, Im trying to do my part to clean up the house and be more attentive but I realize there are deeper issues at play here. Im worried that his delusion that God gave her to him to get his wife back will come back to haunt us. I am open to suggestions. I love my husband. What else can I do? How can I deal with this...??? PLEASE HELP!!! reply Pages« first‹ previous12
