WASHINGTON - More and more American women are
                          sharing their husbands and boyfriends with female
                          friends and family members because there simply
                          aren't enough guys to go around, say experts!

                          "Between 7 million and 8 million single and married women
                          in this country are now man-sharing," reveals Dr. Marc
                          Lipton.

                          "Many single women are opting for man-sharing as a way
                          to deal with today's shortage."

                          Agrees Dr. John Hudson, a social psychologist and past
                          president of the American Association of Marriage and
                          Family Therapy:

                          "There are just under 38 million unmarried women in the
                          U.S., compared with 31 million unmarried men.

                          "Man-sharing is becoming more acceptable and popular
                          because so many women are discovering that the old
                          saying, 'A good man is hard to find,' has never been more
                          true.

                          "There just aren't enough eligible men to go around, and
                          top-notch unattached men are in short supply."

                          Several factors put women at a disadvantage, adds Dr.
                          Hudson.

                          "Women live longer than men, so as time passes, they
                          have fewer and fewer males in their age bracket to
                          choose from," he says.

                          "Then also, men generally tend to seek out younger
                          women, so the older women lose out on that score, too.

                          "And the pool of eligible males is further depleted by the
                          fact that there are more gay men than gay women. So
                          everywhere you look, women are caught in a 'squeeze.' "

                          Says Dr. Lipton: "The largest number of man-sharing
                          women are those who become involved with a married
                          man, or one who is already 'spoken for' by another
                          woman. They decide it's better to settle for half a loaf
                          rather than none.

                          "Then there are the many wives who discover their
                          mates are involved in an extramarital romance - and
                          make the decision to stick with the marriage, even
                          though it means continuing to share him with the other
                          woman."

                          Man-sharing is different from the old-fashioned
                          husband-wife-mistress relationship because both the
                          women involved in man-sharing know that the man has
                          another lover.

                          "The man-sharing arrangement is out in the open - the
                          women are aware that their man is seeing someone
                          else," says Dr. Hudson.

                          "For instance, I know of one case in which a man is
                          really a 'husband' to two women - his wife and a woman
                          with whom he's had an ongoing relationship for a very
                          long time.

                          "His wife knows about it, but doesn't want a divorce.

                          "The other woman values her freedom and independence,
                          and is content with the relationship as it stands.

                          "Men realize that they're in demand, and are taking
                          advantage of the situation under the guise of being
                          'open' and 'honest' with their women," says Dr. Lipton.

                          - By GEORGE BARON