A someone who has had about ten long term relationships (incl my wife lol) a couple dozen short term relationships and another fifty or so flings, unlike
@AutomaticSlim, I
have been in mostly non-transactional situation with women (or at least not overtly lol).
There is truth in his insight about women looking to one up their friends. Or, certain women, perhaps most "conventional" women. Certainly explains my wife and her crew of friends.
But my wife and her friends are insecure, emotionally stunted people (I chose my wife for sex and charm, unfortunately, not compatibility). There are
lots of cool, emotionally mature women looking for
lots of different things in their partners.
One thing I've found more generally, which I didn't come up with but once I'd heard it, I saw it everywhere -- women's ideal relationship state is serial monogamy and men's is polygamy. When men cheat, they're
in their steady state -- relationships are unnatural for us. When women cheat, they're just moving to the next lilypad.