It is not uncommon for a married man to have an outside relationship. There can be a huge number of reasons for this. In the dark, many women continue to live with their partners under the same roof, raise children and share a marital bed. While insidious rivals make plans and weave intrigues, trying to take the beloved away from the family. After all, every lady dreams of personal happiness, and some are ready to achieve it by any means, even at the cost of other people's tears and suffering. In this article we will look at how a wife differs from a mistress.
Definitions
The wife is a representative of the fair sex in relation to a man who is married to her. Initially, this term united all adult ladies. Confirmation of this fact is easy to find in numerous Slavic written sources. In the modern world, the word is used in the meaning of "spouse". You can also hear the expression "common-law wife" in relation to a lady who lives with a man under the same roof, but is not officially married to him. However, this use of the phrase is incorrect from a terminological point of view. Previously, a civil marriage was just the same officially registered union. Modern legal science simply does not recognize such a term. However, in society, concubines continue to be called common-law wives.
A lover is a woman who has sex with a man. In the past, this term had a slightly different meaning. It meant all the ladies in love. Today, this is the name given to a woman who not only has a passionate affair with a man, but also has tender, often mutual feelings for him. Attitudes towards mistresses have changed throughout world history. In Russia, cohabitation with a lady in the presence of an official spouse was raised to the rank of adultery and was often punished with punishment. Thus, the Church charter of Yaroslav the Wise established a fine for such a relationship. However, in ancient Rome, open cohabitation with a mistress without marriage did not cause universal condemnation. It is also worth noting that Peter I constantly surrounded himself with young girls, engaging in sexual relations with them. And this did not give rise to special objections from his wife Catherine. By the way, the most famous mistress in history is the courtesan of the Marquis de Pompadour. She was the official favorite of the French king Louis XIV.
Comparison
Obviously, there are many differences between the concepts under consideration. The most basic of these is the status of the relationship. So, the wife is in an officially registered marriage with a man, while the mistress is on “bird rights”. She is forced to be content with rare short meetings and always be on the sidelines. The wife lives with her husband in the same territory, shares his life with him. She does housework, prepares food and takes care of the chosen one in every possible way. In this regard, the mistress's life is much easier, because she does not need to wash her partner's socks and iron his shirts. Her relationship with a man is based primarily on sexual attraction. In the company of a mistress, a representative of the stronger sex relaxes and rests from pressing problems, monotonous family life.
It is quite logical that an official marriage implies the birth of joint children and their upbringing. The mistress can only dream about it. She deliberately condemns herself to loneliness, even being in connection with the parterre. Such relations can be interrupted at any moment, there is no stability in them. This is another difference between a wife and a mistress. The first is a permanent partner, the second is most often temporary. However, there are times when a man leaves his wife for his mistress. But this is rather an exception to the rule. It should be added that the official spouse does not hesitate to appear in front of her partner in a somewhat unsightly form - in a dressing gown and without makeup. She can show negative emotions, be unhappy, weak and helpless. The mistress is always forced to "keep her face", to look spectacular and seductive. She has to constantly create a holiday atmosphere around herself, forgetting about reproaches and claims. In comparison with her, the spouse can boldly present various requirements to the partner and count on their satisfaction.
We gave a detailed answer to the question, what is the difference between a wife and a mistress. Let's highlight the main aspects of the above.
Table
| Wife | Mistress | Satisfied with rare meetings |
| Gives birth to children and is engaged in their upbringing together with her husband | Consciously dooms himself to loneliness |
| Constancy relations | Instability of communication |
| Can be natural in the presence of a spouse | Forced to constantly “keep her face”, look spectacular and seductive |
| Has the right to put forward various demands to a partner and count on their satisfaction | Cannot make claims to a man, demand too much from him |
