A PHILOSOPHICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CONCEPT AND NATURE OF INFIDELITY IN MARRIAGE AS A SOCIO-ETHICAL ISSUE IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

Abstract

Marriage is a product of both tradition and culture. In the African tradition, marriage is considered a sacred union due to its contributions and role in the society. For this reason, marital vows which include faithfulness or fidelity to one’s spouse are inviolable because infidelity undermines the very foundation of marriage and family in many ways.  Unfortunately, the very bond (fidelity/faithfulness) that unites and strengthens marriage and family has been undermined. Today, almost every family in our contemporary society suffers from the consequences of the breach of marital vows otherwise known as infidelity. Against this background therefore, this paper attempts a critical examination of infidelity in marriage as a socio-ethical issue in our contemporary society. By engaging the analytic and historical methods of analysis, the paper discovers that infidelity is present in nearly all marriages in our contemporary society and that the concept is not limited to just men, as women both young and old are closing in on their male counterparts in its frequency. The paper then argues that infidelity is indeed a moral as well as a social problem that has devastating long-term consequences on both the spouse and the society at large. Hence, the paper advocates for proactive measures or mechanisms that should be instituted by the government to check-mate the incidents of infidelity in marriage.