Study says female nurses cheat more than any other profession

A recent report from Illicit Encounters, a UK-based dating site designed for married individuals seeking affairs, claims that female nurses top the list of professions most likely to cheat. According to the platform’s user data, nurses represent the largest proportion of female users on the site, triggering renewed debate about how high-stress careers impact intimate relationships.

The platform’s analysts suggest that the demanding nature of healthcare jobs—particularly in nursing—contributes to emotional fatigue and disconnection in relationships. Long hours, night shifts, high emotional labor, and limited time for loved ones are among the pressures cited in the findings.

“It’s not about morality—it’s about environment, stress, and opportunity,” says a summary from the report.

Psychological Insights

Psychologists agree that nurses face intense emotional workloads, often absorbing patient trauma while managing their own exhaustion. This can strain romantic relationships and prompt individuals to seek emotional or physical connection elsewhere.

Dr. Helena Moore, a behavioral therapist based in London, notes:

“Nurses give everything to their patients. Often, they come home emotionally drained, with little left to give their partners. That kind of emotional imbalance can become fertile ground for relational detachment.”

Critics Push Back

However, critics argue the study lacks scientific rigor and plays into damaging stereotypes. They warn that correlating a profession with infidelity without accounting for broader socioeconomic or psychological factors risks unfairly stigmatizing a workforce already under immense pressure.

“This data says more about who has access to these platforms than who is actually cheating,” said one critic on social media. “It’s clickbait disguised as research.”

The platform, Illicit Encounters, has faced scrutiny in the past for sensationalist claims. Nevertheless, the discussion has drawn fresh attention to how job-related stress impacts emotional wellbeing—and the boundaries of private life in high-pressure professions.

Healthcare and Human Cost

Nurses, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, have been hailed as heroes while simultaneously facing staff shortages, burnout, and inadequate compensation. Many experts say that emotional fatigue can erode the core of personal relationships—especially when support systems are strained.

Relationship counselor Martin Day explains:

“It’s easy to paint infidelity as a failure of character. But in many cases, it’s a symptom of an overworked, emotionally depleted person trying to feel seen or valued.”

Whether or not the statistics from Illicit Encounters reflect a larger truth, the conversation around emotional labor, job stress, and fidelity is real—and necessary. While the platform’s findings have sparked controversy, they’ve also opened up dialogue on the unseen emotional cost of caregiving professions and what support working women, especially nurses, truly need.

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