Nearly one third of singles in America have had a consensually non-monogamous relationship, but many singles are still committed to the concept of traditional sexual monogamy.
According to the 2024 Match Singles in America report, which released on Wednesday, while 31% of singles in America have explored consensual non-monogamy (also known as ethical non-monogamy), 49% of singles say that traditional sexual monogamy is still their “ideal sexual relationship.” Of the one third of singles who had tried consensual non-monogamy, respondents reported participating in polyamory (where relationship partners agree that each may have a romantic relationship with other people), open relationships (a committed primary relationship that openly allows for romantic and/or sexual activity with others), swinging (expanding an exclusive romantic relationship to seek out other sexual partners together), and being monogamish (a committed relationship that allows for sexual variety with others, either together or individually).
Read more: The Surprising Political Evolution of American Polyamory
Though consensual non-monogamy has long existed, it’s enjoying a moment of popularity in the mainstream, and showing up in pop culture with television shows, books, and media focusing on its facets. Anthropologist Helen Fisher, Match’s Chief Science Advisor, who helped co-lead the study, said that though this moment is an exciting development for consensual non-monogamy, it’s hardly new.
“There’s every reason to think that having sex outside of the pair bond has been quite common for millions of years,” Fisher told TIME. “What’s actually extraordinary is that we bother to pair up at all and indeed we do.”
Fisher says that monogamy is a carryover from early farming cultures, when couples were dependent on each other to farm, making pair bonding necessary, especially for women, who were forced to be dependent on men, who were the property owners. She notes that the current interest in…
