Why do women stay in relationships?
Kanisa George -  KANISA GEORGE  Being in a healthy, loving, and sexually-gratifying relationship is a massively important life goal for most women. When we are young, we set our standards high, only to bring those barriers down a few notches when time is no longer on our side. Finding love can sometimes feel like searching for the missing piece of a puzzle, and when we do attain some semblance of bliss, we sadly settle for several reasons. Like most things in life, compromise in any relationship is indispensable. In a world where women have more rights and opportunities, it is difficult to accept that collectively we are a lot less happy than we were a few decades ago. This is mainly in part to what has since been called the paradox of declining female happiness. And although this principle focuses on inequality in heterosexual marriages, it also inadvertently shines a much-needed spotlight on a womans willingness to stay. When asked why she remained in an abusive relationship, one participant in a study on the effects of domestic violence shared, I believed I deserved it, and, I was ashamed, embarrassed, and blamed myself because I thought I triggered him.  Some women who experience abuse at the hands of a partner avoid reporting the first incident of abuse to anyone. Research also shows that these women are likely to continue the relationship even after multiple instances of abuse. A research paper by psychologist Jason Whitman posits that damaged self-worth and fear were among the top reasons for staying in an abusive relationship, for abusers repeatedly used brainwashing and manipulation to trap victims into a vortex of abuse. It also found that women were far more likely to stay in an abusive relationship if children were involved and the relationship provided some level of financial dependency. There comes a time in some relationships where couples have to deal with the unwelcomed, damaging effects of infidelity. Cheating isnt a stranger to some relationships. In fact, one study conducted by condom giant Durex found that Canada has an infidelity rate of about ten per cent. The US holds a rate of about 13 to 20 per cent, and several European countries have an infidelity range between 30 and 50 per cent. The study also found that although infidelity statistics for women has climbed about 40 per cent over the past 20 years, the rate of cheating men still outpaced them. A 65-year-old woman, married for over 30 years, recounted her one regret in life; remaining married to her promiscuous husband. While she was thankful for her children, she lamented not living life independently and settling for a man she no longer loved and who didnt respect their relationship. When asked why she stayed, she admitted that it was the familiarity of it all.  For a woman in her 20s starting a new relationship is fun, fresh and exciting. But for many past the age of youth, getting to know someone is nothing short of a laborious task. Instead, many opt to maintain the status quo, even if they no longer value the relationship. What it ultimately boils down to is convenience. An article in the Huffington Post suggests that most women stay after an affair because they have already lived through the worst part. They have dealt with the lies, deception and insult to their intuition, and when presented with the truth, they simply move forward. As strange as it might be, shame causes quite a few women to stay after infidelity. Some would rather live with the denial privately than be publicly humiliated by admitting their partners sexual misdeeds. Beyond the ills of abuse and infidelity, women also stay in loveless relationships. Though difficult to fathom, it is a lot more common than most realise. Truthfully, loneliness is a frightening concept and to quell this fear, some women choose to be coupled up in loveless relationships. According to one blogger, some women will stay in a relationship out of a sense of duty. Whether for financial or emotional reasons, they stay because they want to pay their dues, not because they want to. Genuine care also plays a role. Although intimacy might be a far-gone thought, some women love their partners in a wholly platonic way, and for them, that is enough. Whatever the reasons, women sometimes stay. And while some situations arent the most ideal, we owe ourselves the gift of happiness. It is a gift truly worth fighting for and should not be compromised.