High Rate of Acceptance for Marital Indiscretions in France

French President Francois Hollande has faced the media at his annual press briefing amid allegations of an affair with actress Julie Gayet. After speaking at length about the economy and foreign affairs, the inevitable questions arose regarding his private life. Hollande emphasised his right to privacy and explained that he would clarify whether or not his partner Valerie Trierweiler was still the French first lady at a later date.

Interestingly there is a high rate of acceptance for marital indiscretions in France, compared to other countries. Pew Research Center asked respondents whether “married people having an affair is morally unacceptable”. Only 47 percent of people in France believed that married people having an affair was morally unacceptable. In Germany, this figure rose to 60 percent while it was higher still in Britain at 76 percent. Opposition to extramarital affairs is very high in the United States where 84 percent of people stated that such an affair would be morally wrong.