Factors influencing a woman's decision to end an extramarital sexual relationship

While the role of individual characteristics has been examined for extramarital sexual involvement, the literature has yet to document personal factors associated with the termination of an affair. In doing so, this study examines the impact of a woman's sex role attributes ("masculinity") and attitudes toward sex (erotophobia-erotophilia) on her decision to terminate an extramarital affair. Masculinity was not related to affair length. The more positive a woman's attitude toward sex, the longer she continued the extramarital relationship. A further descriptive analysis suggests that this relationship may hold only for women in sexual affairs. The implications of these findings, methodological advances, and limitations of this study are discussed. Finally, recommendations for future research are explored.