You have full access to this open access article. The present study examined associations among attitudes toward sugar relationships and relevant variables e. We tested cross-sex and cross-linguistic construct equivalence, cross-cultural invariance in sex differences, and the importance of the hypothetical predictors of ASR.
Results partially supported our hypotheses and were consistent with previous theoretical considerations and empirical evidence on human mating. Sex for resources has been common for centuries e. In a sugar relationship, a man with resources sugar daddy or, less frequently, a woman with resources sugar mama provides material compensation money or other assets for the sexual companionship offered by a partner who is typically younger in age sugar baby or, less frequently, sugar boy ; Nayar, Sagar et al.
Mixon proposes an economic approach to sugar relationships, in which the concept of human capital investment explains the relatively high proportion of young female university students enrolled in expensive programs among the users of specialized dating sites. From a feminist perspective, Cordero points out the importance of negotiating power and agency by prospective partners in a sugar relationship. Other authors focus on the legal and ethical aspects of sugar relationships. Miller , Motyl , and Motz question whether sugar relationships should be legally defined as a form of sex work, considering that in countries where sex work and active support for sex work is banned, no comparable legal provision restricts the access to web services designed for managing sugar relationships.
Ernst et al. Wade , the founder and CEO of Seeking Arrangement the US sugar babies dating site , defines sugar relationships as an arrangement where one person provides intimacy, companionship, or other forms of attention in return for personal gain such as financial support or professional advancement. Scull states that this definition is more inclusive and representative of the diverse range of sugar relationships that exist as it encompasses those that do not involve sex or age disparities.
This definition is preferable to academic ones as it is more inclusive and represents the wide range of sugar relationships that exist. Exchanging sex for resources between young attractive partners and older partners with resources occurs in many present-day societies. The term transactional sex is mostly used by academics in reference to relationships in African countries to describe trades of sexual accessibility for resources e.
