Millions of couples around the world are in consensual open relationships — the ones where you have more than one romantic or physical partner.
But because monogamy remains the norm (90–95 % of the world’s population still practices it), they are often misunderstood.
A woman in a long-standing consensual open marriage was accused by her mother-in-law of cheating.
So she shared her story online, revealing that her husband’s mother even tried to catfish her to try to prove the accusations. And what did it lead to? Keep reading to find out.
A woman said her mother-in-law made a fake online profile to catfish her
Image credits: DC Studio (not the actual image)
The mother-in-law believed that the woman was cheating
Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)
Image credits: gpointstudio (not the actual image)
Image credits: MissCyborg007
Consensual non-monogamy is not that uncommon in committed relationships
Open relationships, polyamory, and other forms of consensual non‑monogamy are not that uncommon anymore.
About 4–5% of US adults say they are currently in an open relationship, according to recent relationship statistics reports.
And around 20–25% of people in the US have engaged in some form of consensual non‑monogamy at some point in their lives. Roughly one‑quarter say they won’t mind trying one.
At the same time, this practice is still a taboo for a lot of Americans.
In a survey, about half of US adults said open relationships are never acceptable, regardless of whether they would do it themselves.
Only 20% said it is rarely acceptable and 32% said it is acceptable either sometimes or always.
Large gaps also exist between those who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual and those who identify as straight.
LGB adults were the only demographic group studied in which a majority said that having an open relationship is always or sometimes acceptable (61%, compared with 29% of straight adults).
Open relationships continue to face widespread bias and misunderstanding
Research shows that people in these relationships often experience negative social stigma, such as disapproval, devaluation of their character or commitment, and judgment from others.
“People in consensually non-monogamous relationships do indeed report experiencing stigma in a variety of ways. Furthermore, this experienced stigma is associated with psychological distress,” says lead author of the study Elizabeth Mahar of the University of British Columbia.
Like the mother-in-law in this story, many people wrongly assume that open relationships are the same as cheating.
Despite lingering stigma, we all should be aware that the hallmark of a consensually non‑monogamous relationship is consent.
While boundaries are of utmost importance for the couple, they are also equally important for outsiders such as family or friends.
“People in consensually non‑monogamous relationships should not be responsible for managing others’ negative behaviour and reactions because of misconceptions,” writes Rebecca J Cobb, a clinical psychologist at Simon Fraser University.
Experts say dealing with family interference takes patience and teamwork — whether you’re getting unsolicited advice or being asked too many questions.
You can handle family drama by setting clear boundaries and keeping your relationship a priority.
And if you’re on the other side and an open relationship just isn’t your thing, that’s totally fine. But being a decent human means respecting that not everyone loves the way you do. You don’t have to get it, you just have to let people live.
The woman responded to people's comments on her story
Many people shared their opinions, with some expressing outrage against the mother-in-law
