The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE


Tribune Chief Reporter


lrolle@tribunemedia.net

MARRIED women in The Bahamas who have outside partners are more likely than married men to say the other partner is the better lover, a finding that demonstrates how strongly sexual satisfaction can drive so-called “sweethearting” relationships.

A University of The Bahamas study found 54 percent of married women described a sweetheart as superior sexually compared with 39.5 percent of married men. One participant called the experience a “guaranteed orgasm” while another said it was “awesome sex.”

The research, “A Description of Sweethearting in The Bahamas,” analysed online responses from 6,714 adults and suggests that even as marriages remain intact, some partners seek intimacy elsewhere to meet specific unmet needs.

Age gaps were common. Older men tended to have younger sweethearts, while younger women often partnered with older men. About 4.2 percent of sweethearts were 19 or younger.

Researchers also identified health risks. Condom use was low — “Among the 273 male respondents, 29.3 per cent reported consistent condom use, while among the 469 females, the corresponding figure was 23.9 per cent,” the study added.

One in five respondents reported more than one sexual partner in the previous six months. Among them, 77 percent said at least one partner was a sexual sweetheart. Men reported more partners overall.

Financial support was another common feature. Women were far more likely than men to receive money, gifts or assistance. One married woman with two partners said, “There is no need for me to work.”

Overall, 44.9 percent of married women and 47.6 percent of never-married women reported receiving money from a sweetheart, compared with 10.6 percent of married men and 20.2 percent of never-married men.

Emotional reassurance also featured prominently. Many respondents said a sweetheart made them feel “needed,” which researchers linked to better sexual experiences.

Despite these advantages, most participants showed little desire to replace their primary partner. The report concluded.

“Instead, sweethearting appears to be driven by immediate personal benefits, such as financial support, sexual gratification, or emotional validation, rather than aspirations for future permanence,” the report said.

The survey skewed female and young; just over half had never been married, and 31 percent were married. Among married or common-law respondents with multiple partners, 72.3 percent said at least one was a sweetheart.

Lead researcher William J Fielding warned this could affect spouses. “So there's the risk of bringing diseases into a family relationship, and that might be a concern for us to be to be aware of,” he said.

Encounters often occurred away from either partner’s home. Mr Fielding said meeting at a sweetheart’s residence increased vulnerability: “This now puts them in a place over which they have less control because in a sense, they’re playing away right so this might open them up to a greater chance of being abused because they’re not within their own comfort zone.”

The study also recorded sexual coercion, with men more likely to report committing non-consensual sex and women more likely to report experiencing it.

“For example, Bahamian media portrayals often frame females exclusively as victims of intimate partner violence; however, our findings reveal a more nuanced reality in which both males and females can be perpetrators and victims,” the study added.

Researchers cautioned that the survey used non-probabilistic sampling and allowed skipped questions, meaning results should not be treated as nationally representative. Still, they said the findings help explain why the relationships persist.

“The study’s results help to show that, despite the publicised negative aspects of sweethearting, for those who participate in such relationships, there are both potential benefits as well as risks, some of which may extend beyond the sweethearts. As such, the data provide insights about the motivation driving sweethearting and the associated consequences of sweethearting.”

Nonetheless, researchers cautioned that all the data is self-reported, meaning respondents may present a more idealised version of themselves. This suggests actual rates of infidelity could be higher than reported, particularly among women, who may be less willing to disclose such behaviour due to social stigma, whereas men often report it more openly.