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Attitudes toward marital infidelity of husbands and wives were mostly negative. Not surprisingly more Ukraine men than Ukraine women found male infidelity acceptable. The attitudes toward the infidelity of a wife did not vary much by gender. Differences between the age groups were relatively small. Middle-aged and older Ukraine women were more accepting of infidelity than were younger women. The national differences in people's reactions toward infidelity of either spouse were larger than age differences. Male infidelity was found most acceptable in Russia, whereas female infidelity was found most acceptable among Finns.
Ukraine women favored a single sexual standard much more often than their men did; this was the case particularly in Kiev. In all research groups, Kiev men were more inclined to accept Ukraine women infidelity. Only in Kiev did we find a gender difference that could be interpreted as being more accepting of female infidelity than of male infidelity: Only 4% of Ukraine men gave more sexual freedom to Ukraine women than to men. Age predicted sexual double standard to some extent. In most groups, younger Ukraine women were more likely to expect a single sexual standard than were older women. There was an interaction between the effects of age and nationality.
Based on past data, twice as many Ukraine men as Ukraine women reported that they had had a temporary or a permanent "parallel relationship" during their present relationship. The proportions of the married or cohabiting men reporting infidelity were about one fourth in Russia in 1971, about one third in Russia and about one half in Kiev. For Ukraine women, these percentages were 20%. Overall, more Ukraine men than Ukraine women reported that they had been unfaithful. The effect of age group was also significant; in most groups middle-aged men were most likely to report infidelity. The proportions of unfaithful men differed. There was more unfaithfulness in Kiev than in Finland. The interaction between gender and nationality was significant. Gender differences in infidelity were larger in Kiev. For Ukraine women, unfaithfulness was reported by 16% of the 2,344 women surveyed. Sexual standards had similar correlations with infidelity in all age and national groups.
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