Infidelity in Panama
What Do Panamanians Have Against Monogamy?
Whether it be a young teenage couple or a couple married for 20 years, everyone in Panama seems to be cheating. Panamanians seem to be a lot more accepting of infidelity than North Americans are. Adultery sometimes seems like the national past time in Panama.
It’s not that monogamy is frowned upon in Panama – it’s just not practiced all that much. This phenomenon crosses socio-economic and racial boundaries as well. I would hazard to guess that 80 percent of the Panamanians I know are cheating on their partner. In many of these cases the partner is even aware this is going on.
It is not uncommon in Panama for a man to have two families. I’m not referring to a divorce and then second marriage. What I have seen in Panama are men that are married with kids and he spends half his time with another woman and the kids from their extra-marital relationship. In these cases it is common for the two women to know about each other.
More common than the above scenario are the men who meet random women and date her for a short time. The women get switched out occasionally, but the men rarely ever leave their “sure thing” they have waiting for them at home. The men usually pick a good woman to stay with for life, but will continually add on to their harem.
Men are not the only ones cheating either. Women seem to be less likely then men to step out of the relationship, but it occurs more often then you would probably think. Even when a woman is faithful, if her man is cheating, it’s most often a forgivable offense.
Of course infidelity happens all over the world. Women do it, men do it, but in Panama is seems much more common. Do you think Panamanians have a higher rate of infidelity than other countries?
| Written by Rebecca Tyre |  |
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Filed under: Culture, News on August 13th, 2008
The style is different but I am surprised of your suprising discovery!. As you are Canadian ,you certainly do know that in your country you are much , much, much “liberal” Maybe the style is different . As the spaniard saying: “En todas partes se cuecen habas.”
Try to write something more educational and positive now that you are living in a country that open its doors to you, a foreigner.
By the way…I do not approve such conduct.
Hey Querube, lighten up a little! Whether or not you approve is not the point. the point is that infidelity (La Aventura) is part of the culture here and it is something that foreigners need to be aware of. Therefore this article was in fact educational, as you requested.
Generally I think other Latin America cultures are quite similar in this respect and tolerant of outside affairs. Panama has simply carried it forward to its logical extreme! It representts the tolerant, live and let live attitude of most Panamanians, and I Iove it!
Actually, I do appreciate Rebecca write things like this. I mean, though you want to emphasize on the positive side, you should also make notes of those issues foreigners are not used to. And this might be one of those situations. Having said that…
What I am surprised at is not the fact people cheat; just as Querube said, it’s the same the whole world over. Rather is (a) the fact most Panamanians say their are catholic (you know, “Thou shall not commit adultery”), and (b) the openness which that occurs – in fact, for men, it is almost a bragging right. It does not help when you have some many idioms related to this: “ponerle los cuernos”, “pasarlo por la parrilla”, et al.
From what I have observed (*), I think cheating occurs in Panama because people can get away with it. For some women, it means they will lose a source of income (in some cases their only source) so, they would rather bear with it. For some men, it is better it does not go “public” (which is funny considering the idioms above) as it will hit their “macho” ego. But, as society evolves, I guess this will not happen as often.
(*) Just in case, I am Canadian, but lived in Panama long enough.
This is a universal phenomenon. People may be more open and a lot less repressed in Panama than in Canada or the U.S., but it goes on everywhere. I would even venture to say that the divorce rate in those countries is much higher than in Panama.
Dare I say…did we have a bad romantic experience lately?
And my GF says I’m the one most likely to cheat, even though most of her friends are and I don’t know of anybody back home who is. She also says she’d never do it…………..And I really don’t want to hear an opinion on that one!!!!!!!
Well, I am very interested in your article. It is for certain a generalization. I wonder were did you get your “data” and the source of your information. Perhaps it is based on a personal experience?
I suppose it’s expected for people to assume this article was based on personal experience. It IS based on personal experience…I have been living in Panama for a number of years and 99.9% of my friends in Panama are PANAMANIAN. My “personal experience” is with my many, many friends that have dealt with this issue.
LOL….
dont get that heated everyone cheats….
and Panama is not the expetion…
but marriages do last longer and
older marriage still stand the test of time
is all about the individual and come on! with all
these COLOMBIAN (hooker immigrants)
what guy is gonna refrain?
and since i grow up there b4 the massive immigration
of Colombians and Venezuelans I can assure you
its the same for women Panama is notorious for their night life and what happens at Lady’s Night stays at ladies night…
I saw this first hand while living out by Pacora after the invasion in 89. Its a cultural thing and if you live there you really cant blast them for it. They have thier own way of doing things. I will tell you that the men do support both families to the extent that they can financially. I had a friend who I would give rides to his other families house to drop off some food, money ,or even a bottle of seco. I gave his son a ride to the clinic once and he stayed with him while at the doctors. Its a family oriented society, even if the family is not what we might understand in north america. To be frank I have seen alot more dead beat dads here in the states. With our high divorce rates and covert cheating, I often think they are on to something.
greg
I haven’t been in Panama for 10 yrs so it’s sad that
there is so much infidelity,but I do have several
relatives that are happily married where the wife
and the husband are not cheating on each other.
Honestly, there is more cheating going on in
the United States and the divorce is so common
here,everywhere you turn there is a couple getting
divorced. US lawyers are making money putting ads
in the yellow pages and on t.v. encouraging people
to separate. Very sad! Though Panamenians are
not perfect,I have seen more families living in
harmony and happily married in Panama
than in the U.S.