The Real Nature of Transactional Sex
It may not be what you think it is
When people think about transactional sex, they may automatically envision prostitutes on a street corner selling their wares to potential customers driving by as they look for a thrill. And while this may certainly be the case in many situations, a study conducted by Josep M. Tamarit Sumalla and Irene Montiel Juan challenges this idea and explains that transactional sex is really more complex.
In a survey of 1,568 people, 7.3 percent admitted to engaging in some form of transactional sex, which researchers found fell into four distinct categories — and they don’t necessarily conform to what people assume.
Occasional transactional sex. This type of transaction occurs when someone receives money and gifts from time to time in exchange for sex, and 3.7 percent of people participated in these activities. While most only did this up to three times, some engaged in occasional transactional sex more than 13 times.
Transactional relationships. Typically called “sugar relationships,” this type of transactional sex occurs when people develop intimate relationships with someone who has more means than they do. This was more common than occasional transactional sex with 4.2 percent of people participating in these relationships.
