BAHAMAS-Study shows that “sweethearting” is influenced by several factors.

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – A study conducted by the University of The Bahamas (UB) has found that “sweethearting” relationships in the country are driven by sexual and emotional needs along with financial support and that actual rates of infidelity could be higher than reported, particularly among women.

“These findings suggest that sweethearting relationships are typically not viewed as pathways to long-term partnerships or as substitutes for existing primary relationships, “according to the study authored by UB researchers William Fielding and Terry Campbell, along with Shamel Rolle-Sands from the Public Hospitals Authority.

“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 study titled “A Description of Sweethearting in The Bahamas,” analysed online responses from 6,714 adults, with the target population being people 18 years and over who were currently, in the last six months, involved in at least one intimate relationship. Data collected included various aspects of sweethearting, such as sexual behavior, emotional engagement, financial exchanges, and health outcomes.

The study suggested that even as marriages remain intact, some partners seek intimacy elsewhere to meet specific unmet needs.

The study also found that age gaps were common, with older men tending to have younger sweethearts, while younger women often had older partners. About 4.2 per cent of sweethearts were 19 or younger.

The study also identified health risks, noting that condom use was low, noting that “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”.

Fielding told reporters that “as Bahamians start having sex with multiple partners from an early age, this early exposure to multiple sexual partners may normalise sweethearting behaviour later in life”.

Many married respondents who engaged in adulterous relationships reported having children with their spouse, with the study suggesting that infidelity may impact those outside of the sexual relationship and potentially influence the next generation.

“… We can conjecture that children who become aware of a parent’s or guardian’s sweethearting behavior may view such actions as normative, thus increasing the likelihood of intergenerational transmission of these relationship patterns.

“This raises important questions regarding the mechanisms through which sweethearting may be perpetuated across generations in The Bahamas,” according to the study, which also found that fewer than half of the sexual encounters between sweethearts occurred in either participant’s homes.

It said that this pattern may reflect issues of privacy or the need for secrecy, with “females were more likely than males to have sexual encounters in the sweetheart’s home”.

The study found that 11.4 per cent of married men surveyed reported having children with their sweetheart, compared with 7 per cent of married women. Among those who were never married, 4.1 per cent of men reported having children with a sweetheart, compared with 4.2 per cent of women.

“Parenthood within sweethearting relationships was more common among married males compared to their unmarried counterparts, suggesting that sweethearting can contribute to the formation of blended families and potentially increase the risk of family conflict, which may be detrimental to the children.

“Overall, respondents who were married and engaged in sweethearting were generally more likely to report having children than single respondents. The underlying reason for this pattern remains unclear and warrants further investigation in future research.

“Females, more so than males, were likely to receive monetary gifts from their sweetheart. This pattern was even more pronounced among single women than among their married counterparts. “

The study also found that married women with outside partners are more likely than married men to say the other partner is the better lover, with 54 per cent of married women describing a sweetheart as superior sexually, compared with 39.5 per cent of married men.

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.

While the researchers said the survey used non-probabilistic sampling and allowed skipped questions, meaning the results should not be treated as nationally representative, they still believed 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.”