When Karen Pence recently told the Washington Post that her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, never dines alone with other women nor attends events with alcohol without her, social media blew up with the expected jokes. But some psychologists say they might be on to something — and are far from alone in making up rules.
“A lot of cheating episodes occur when boundaries have not been clearly set,” Fran Walfish, a relationship psychologist based in Beverly Hills, Calif., tells The Post. “I think it’s excellent that Mike Pence and his wife have taken the time and care to clearly delineate boundary lines that are mutually comfortable.”
Danny Groner, 33, a marketing manager who lives on the Upper West Side, says that within minutes of meeting a woman at a party or event, he mentions his girlfriend of seven years. “I want to maintain some level of distance from other women to protect the integrity of my relationship,” says Groner, whose job requires him to frequent parties and events. “I’d rather be upfront.”
“I don’t want my husband, [Eddie, 37], spending time with or creating friendships with women I don’t know,” says Jasmine Diaz, a 34-year-old dating coach. Because of this, she insists on befriending her husband’s female friends.
“This is less about [not] trusting my spouse and more about not trusting women,” says Diaz, who splits her time between Los Angeles and the Upper East Side. “I’m well aware that there are a certain group of women that find hunting a married man a sport.”
So when Eddie befriended a woman at his running club, Diaz says she wanted to meet her, too. “Women are intuitive, and we can sense when the woman around our guy has ulterior motives,” she says. She quickly found that she had nothing to worry about, saying that she quickly connected with [her].”