Men vs. women: relationship risks and fears about cheating

Until their mid-thirties, both sexes are good at making babies, but face two different relationship risks.

Risks for woman
Men can technically make a baby in minutes. Women however have to invest at least 9 months during pregnancy — with vast physical and psychological consequences. This puts them at a lot of risk if the relationship breaks apart. However, they do have one advantage.

Risks for men
Once the newborn arrives, mothers can be certain that the infant is theirs. Fathers however risk falling in love with and caring for a child that’s not theirs. And around 1 in 50 do! So what’s mama’s baby, is papa’s maybe? 

The main differences
A woman’s anxiety about becoming a mother with no help supporting the family and a man’s fear of paternal fraud is said to create very different concerns about cheating. 

Fears about cheating
One theory suggests that men, on average, usually worry more about sexual infidelity. They want to make sure they’re raising the child they fathered. 

Women typically get more jealous when they feel emotionally betrayed. They are worried their partner might share precious resources, like time and money, with someone else.