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One particular form of extramarital sexual behavior, mate‐swapping or swinging, has received much attention in the popular and social scientific literature recently. One question not yet adequately answered is whether mate‐swapping is harmful or helpful to marital and family stability. The hypothesis that mate‐swapping is potentially less harmful to the stability of a marriage (and family) than a secret extramarital affair is discussed using two sources of data—several participant observation studies of swingers and survey research involving a stratified area probability sample of 579 married adults in a midwestern community. Infidelity, marital cohesion and family solidarity are examined using both descriptive and survey data. The tentative evidence provided does not suggest that mate‐swapping is harmful to marital or family stability.
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Cole et al. (1974) studied this question.
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