An older man and a much younger woman caught in the glare of a scandal often makes the headlines and shocks the public, but the motivations behind the relationship are an old and oft-told story.
The allegations involving Monsignor Eugene Clark, a high-ranking Roman Catholic Church official, and his secretary, Laura DeFilippo, who are caught up in an ugly divorce case filed by the woman’s husband, follow a relatively familiar pattern, say observers of the marital scene.
“Infidelity between older men and younger women is often charged by power and is based on inequality,” said Renee Pepper, a Mount Kisco social worker and counselor of married couples.
“Oftentimes, the older man is a medical professional, an executive, sometimes even a member of the clergy. It is generally a person who becomes idealized by this woman, and she believes he has great knowledge, responsibility and compassion. The adoration bestowed upon the older person leaves him beguiled,” Pepper said.
Is it surprising that a clergyman is implicated in a divorce suit involving accusations of infidelity?
Not to Stephanie Gertler, the Scarsdale co-author of “To Love, Honor, and Betray: The Secret Lives of Suburban Wives,” published this year. Her book examines infidelity through the eyes of 26 married or previously married women living in the suburbs, and hearing about the case of Clark struck a familiar chord.
More: thejournalnews.com
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