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A fifth of spouses admit checking their partner's emails or text messages,
according to a new study.
The report also found that in a fifth of relationships, at least one
partner had checked their spouse's browser history on the computer.
Entitled "Netiquette within married couples", the study involved an
analysis of data from nearly 1,000 UK couples by researchers from the London
School of Economics, the University of Oxford and Nottingham Trent
University.
Ellen Helsper, who led the study, said: "Our findings showed that there are
surprisingly high levels of surveillance.
"One of the surprising findings was that surveillance was undertaken more
often by wives than husbands.
"This contrasts with research that suggests that women are less
technologically skilled than men. It seems that they are able to overcome these
barriers when they feel their relationship is at stake.''
The researchers, who reported their findings in the journal, Computers in
Human Behavior this week, analysed replies given to a series of questions about
internet use.
When partners were asked whether they had read their spouses' emails, eight
per cent of men and 14 per cent of women said they had. In a further ten per
cent of cases, both had done so.
Asked the same question in relation to text messages, seven per cent of men
and 13 per cent of women said they had. Again, in a further ten per cent of
cases, both said they had done so.
This equates to around a fifth of spouses admitting to checking emails or
text messages.
One in 10 women and six per cent of men had check the browser history of
their partners. In a further four per cent of relationships, both said they
had.
One per cent of both men and women had used monitoring software, and one
per cent had posed as someone else to contact their partner.
Ms Helsper added: "It is clear that internet users do not shy from taking
action when they think their partner might be undertaking activities that they
are not comfortable with.
"Whatever the reason for the monitoring, partner surveillance was wider
spread than we initially assumed, with one out of every three couples having at
least one partner who monitored the other partner's behaviour using some kind of
technological tool."
The average age of those taking part was 49 and the couples had been
married for an average 19 years with 1.6 children.
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