Is Cuckoldry Just for Straight Men? Researchers Look for Answers

What Is Cuckoldry?

Cuckoldry traditionally referred to a married man with an adulterous wife. Like the cuckoo bird, most men didn’t find out about the affair until their wives bore a child by the paramour.

As sexual attitudes changed over the years, cuckoldry evolved into something else. Today, it’s more often known as a fetish or form of consensual non-monogamy. Modern cuckoldry involves a man who enjoys his wife being sexually involved with another man. A husband will often make arrangements for his wife to have sex with another man while he watches. In this scenario, the husband is the “cuck,” the wife is the “hotwife” or “cuckstress,” and the extra man is the “bull.” It’s important to note that everyone involved in these fetish dates has consented. It’s not adultery.

Cuckoldry isn’t always a husband or boyfriend watching his wife or girlfriend. A “cuckquean” is a woman who enjoys watching her husband have sex with another woman (the “cuckcake”).

The prevailing theory is that cuckoldry is a preemptive coping mechanism for a partner’s adulterous desires. In other words, it’s a way to eroticize a man’s fear of his wife having an affair. If he thinks it's hot, he won't experience jealousy. If that’s the case, gay men should have no interest in cuckoldry since the risk of adultery is minimal due to a lack of evolutionary motivation.

Right?