Symbiosis of Sweetness?
Navigating Sugar Dating through Evolutionary Insights and Philosophical Inquiry in Modern Era
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61357/sehs.v21i1.82Keywords:
sugar dating, Charles Darwin, survival of the fittest, Michel Foucault, power dynamics, sugar baby, sugar daddy, genderAbstract
This article examines the complex dynamics of sugar dating through the theoretical lenses of Darwin's survival of the fittest, Foucault's power dynamics and technologies of heterosexual coercion. Exploring the intersection of these frameworks reveals how sugar dating both reflects and challenges societal norms related to intimacy, economics and gender. Our analysis highlights how advantageous traits in securing sugar relationships may reinforce existing social hierarchies, while power dynamics within these arrangements mirror broader societal power structures. We also consider how traditional gender norms are simultaneously reinforced and subverted. This interdisciplinary approach raises questions about the evolving nature of intimate relationships in the context of economic exchange and digital facilitation, urging further research into the societal pressures, economic conditions and technological advancements that shape modern forms of partnership.
References
BAY-CHENG, L. Y., E. MAGUIN & A. E. BRUNS (2017). Who Wears the Pants: The Implications of Gender and Power for Youth Heterosexual Relationships. The Journal of Sex Research, 55 (1), pp. 7–20. ISSN 0022 4499.
BERECZKEI, T. & A. CSANAKY (1996). Mate Choice, Marital Success, and Reproduction in a Modern Society. Ethology and Sociobiology, 17 , pp. 17–35. ISSN 01623095.
BIRKÁS, B., N. MESKÓ, A. N. ZSIDÓ, D. IPOLYI & A. LÁNG (2020). Providing Sexual Companionship for Resources: Development, Validation, and Personality Correlates of the Acceptance of Sugar Relationships in Young Women and Men Scale (ASR-YWMS). Frontiers in Psychology, 11, pp. 1–15. ISSN 1664-1078.
BURKETT, M. & K. HAMILTON (2012). Postfeminist Sexual Agency: Young Women’s Negotiations of Sexual Consent. Sexualities, 15 (7), pp. 815–833. ISSN 1363-4607.
BUSS, D. & D. SCHMITT (2019). Mate Preferences and Their Behavioral Manifestations. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, pp. 77–110. ISSN 1545-2085.
BUSS, D (2010). Sex Differences in Human Mate Preferences: Evolutionary Hypotheses Tested in 37 Cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12 (1), p. 1.14. ISSN 1469-1825.
CHU, C. S. K (2018) Compensated Dating: Buying and Selling Sex in Cyberspace. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-981-10-6973-4.
COLLISSON, B. & L. P. DE LEON (2020). Perceived Inequity Predicts Prejudice towards Age-Gap Relationships. Current Psychology, 39 (2, , pp. 2108–2115. ISSN 1046-1310.
DARMAYANTI, D. P., N. I. IDRUS, M. TANG & P. HIJJANG (2024). Love or Transaction: The Difference Between Sugar Dating and Conventional Dating. International Journal of Religion, 5 (10), pp. 2863–2872. ISSN 2633-3538.
DARWIN, C. (1895). On the Origin of Species. London: John Murray.
DE LAURETIS, T. (1987). Technologies of Gender: Essays on Theory, Film, and Fiction. Bloomingtone: Indiana University Press.
FLEMING, P. (2018). Sugar Daddy Capitalism: The Dark Side of the New Economy. Cambridge: Polity. ISBN 978-1509528202.
FOUCAULT, M. (1979). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. United States: Penguin.
FOUCAULT, M. (1980). Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews & Other Writings 1972 – 1977. New York: Random House. ISBN 039473954X.
FOUCAULT, M. (1978). The History of Sexuality. Vol. 1. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780241385982.
GAVEY, N. (1992). Technologies and Effects of Heterosexual Coercion. Feminism & Psychology, 2 (3), pp. 325–351. ISSN 0959-3535.
GUNNARSSON, L. & S. STRID (2023). Varieties of Sugar Dating in Sweden: Content, Compensation, Motivations. Social Problems, 70 (4), pp.1044–1062. ISSN 0037-7791.
KIRKEBY, K. M., J. J. LEHMILLER & M. J. MARKS (2022). Sugar Dating, Perceptions of Power, and Condom Use: Comparing the Sexual Health Risk Behaviours of Sugar Dating to Non-Sugar Dating Women. The Journal of Sex Research, 59 (6), pp. 731–741. ISSN 0022-4499.
KUATE-DEFO, B. (2004). Young People’s Relationships with Sugar Daddies and Sugar Mummies: What do We Know and What Do We Need to Know? African Journal of Reproductive Health, 8 (2), pp. 13–37. ISSN 1118-4841.
LECLERC-MADLALA, S. (2003). Transactional Sex and the Pursuit of Modernity. Social Dynamics, 29 (2), pp. 213–233. ISSN 0253-3952.
MCKENZIE, L. (2015). Age-Dissimilar Couples and Romantic Relationships. Berlin: Springer Nature.- ISBN 978-1-137-44676-3.
MESKÓ, N. J. EHLERS & A. N. ZSIDO (2025). Short-Term Mating Orientation Predicts Openness to “Sugar Relationships” More Than Life History Strategy. Evolutionary Psychology, 23 (2), , pp. 1–12. ISSN 1474-7049.
MICHÈLE, B. & M. FRANCESCONI (2012). Can Anyone Be “The” One? Evidence on Mate Selection from Speed Dating. Journal of Human Resources, 48 (2), pp. 474–507. ISSN 0022-166X.
MILLER, A. (2011). Sugar Dating: A New Take on an Old Issue. Buffalo Journal of Gender, Law & Social Policy, 20, pp. 33–68. ISSN 2151-3473.
MILROD, C. & M. MONTO (2017). Older Male Clients of Female Sex Workers in the United States. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 56 (6), pp. 1867–1876. ISSN 0004-0002.
MOTYL, J. (2013). Trading Sex for College Tuition: How Sugar Daddy “Dating” Sites May Be Sugar Coating Prostitution. Dickinson Law Review, 117 (3), pp. 927–957. ISSN 0012-2459.
NAYAR, K. I. (2017). Sweetening the Deal: Dating for Compensation in the Digital Age. Journal of Gender Studies, 26 (3), pp. 335–346. ISSN 0958-9236.
PAWŁOWSKI, B. & R. DUNBAR (1999). Impact of Market Value on Human Mate Choice. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 266 (1416), pp. 281–285. ISSN 0962-8452.
PRADO, C. G. (2009). Foucault’s Legacy. New York: Continuum. ISBN 978 1441130815.
PROULX, N., S. L. CARON & M. E. LOGUE (2006). Older Women/Younger Men. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 5 (4), pp. 43–64. ISSN 1533-2691.
SARAH, D. (2017). Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies: An Exploration of Sugar Dating on Canadian Campuses. Master Thesis. Ottawa: Carleton University, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs.
ŠETINOVÁ, M. & R. TOPINKOVÁ (2021). Partner Preference and Age: User’s Mating Behavior in Online Dating. Journal of Family Research, 33 (3), pp. 566–591. ISSN 2699-2337.
STICE, B. (2021). The Lived Experiences of College Sugar Babies: A Consensual Qualitative Research Study. San Marcos: Master Thesis. Texas State University.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
For all articles published in SEHS, copyright is retained by the authors. Articles are licensed under an open access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that anyone may download and read the paper for free.
