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When I see otherwise loving and compatible couples with children divorce merely because one partner chose to seek sexual or emotional companionship outside of the relationship, I see an expectation, often motivated entirely by social expectations, taking priority over greater values that this particular social norm supposedly is meant to protect. This doesn't make much sense to me, and I think it's unfortunate and is worth questioning.

What do I expect to keep men (and women) from leaving their partners? Love? A sense of duty and commitment? One can love and be committed to a partner (and that commitment can in turn be socially reinforced) without necessarily being monogamous.

Men on the other hand can sire any number children - they can advance their genes by simply playing the field. Men don't need to raise raise children to attain biological success, as women do.

How are men able to attain biological success without raising children? How are women unable to attain biological success without raising children? Men can be forced (by explicit law and/or social pressure) to raise their children directly, or to provide the financial resources for someone else to do so for them. Women don't need to raise their own children to attain biological success; they can do the same thing men do: Outsource the job to their partner, or purchase childcare.