Adultery is defined as which of the following?

• A. A non-consensual sexual act.
• B. A form of child abuse.
• C. A marriage between cousins.
• D. Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse.

Answer: (D)

Adultery is about sexual infidelity within marriage: a married person has voluntary sexual intercourse with someone who is not their spouse. The essential idea is that the person is bound by marriage, and the act involves a sexual relationship outside that marriage with consent and intent. It isn’t about coercion or force, which would describe a non-consensual act; it isn’t about abuse of a child, and it isn’t about who someone marries (such as cousins)—that’s a different issue altogether. In sociology, this definition helps explain norms around fidelity and the expectations placed on partners within marriage.