Since ancient times, enterprising individuals have attempted to evaluate everything in the world in terms of monetary value, and sexual life is no exception. At different times, various scholars have attempted to assess the benefits that a fulfilling sexual life brings to people or the damage caused by its absence, using different monetary values.
One of the most interesting studies in this regard was conducted in 2004 by American researchers in the fields of economics and psychology, Roy F. Baumeister and Kathleen D. Vohs. The scientists published an article in the prestigious scientific journal “Personality and Social Psychology Review,” presenting human heterosexual romantic relationships as an economic model.
The essence of their theory is that sex is a resource. Men, as buyers, create demand in the market, while women, as sellers, control the supply. Female sexuality is considered a resource, and each culture defines female sexuality as more valuable than male sexuality. It is assumed that women receive value in exchange for sexual services, while male sexuality cannot be exchanged for value.
The authors provide several arguments in support of the thesis that sex is exclusively defined as a female resource. They appeal to the reproductive strategies of both sexes, noting that the male contribution to procreation is objectively minimal compared to the female contribution. Pregnancy, childbirth, pain, and even the possibility of death—all these risks are borne by women. Therefore, women have a significant motivation to abstain from sexual contact, and in turn, men have to offer something that can compensate for these risks.
The authors also explain their position by considering the historical context of women. It is noted that the development of the economic and political spheres primarily occurred in male-dominated societies. Wealth and power were created and owned by men, while women remained in secondary roles for a long time. In the patriarchal social structure, sex was one of the few resources that women had and could exchange for material goods. This is confirmed by the fact that prostitution is most prevalent in cultures where women do not have alternative sources of income.
Supply and demand
Baumeister and Vohs’s theory of sexual exchange suggests that the relationships between two individuals are not merely their personal affairs but are linked to the overall sex market. Just as selling a house is not a simple transaction between two parties but is connected to the local economy and the state of the housing market, sex becomes part of the economic system. In this paradigm, sex becomes a commodity.
The question remains as to how the price of this commodity is determined. The authors argue that the cost of sex is negotiated by a heterosexual couple within the context of prices set by other similar couples, and societal sexual norms act as a kind of interest rate.
For instance, let’s assume that a hypothetical woman refuses to engage in sex with a man unless he marries her. In this case, she sets a relatively high price for access to her body. The man, in turn, has the right to decline such an expensive commodity and turn his attention to cheaper alternatives. However, this makes sense only if there are women in the local market willing to offer sex at a lower price. If all the women in the community demand an engagement ring, the man will either have to accept these conditions or completely abstain from sex.
According to Baumeister and Vohs’s theory, the laws of supply and demand in the sexual market work as precisely as in any other market. For example, when the number of young, sexually active, and available women exceeds the number of sexually active men, there is an excess of supply over demand. This was observed in Europe after the First and Second World Wars. As a result, the price of sex will decrease, meaning that men will have the opportunity to obtain sex without giving or promising much in return.
In the opposite situation, where there are more men than women in a community, the demand exceeds the supply. This was observed in certain tribes in the Sahara or Saudi Arabia, where women maintained harems of men, rather than the other way around.
Your product – our customer
In a situation of increased demand in the market, a pool of substitute goods is often formed. The more substitutes there are, the greater the possibility of finding a replacement for an expensive product, thus increasing demand elasticity. In the sex market, prostitution and pornography can serve as such substitutes.
Sexual economics suggests that cheaper alternatives will be directed towards the male community and, to some extent, will be welcomed by men. On the other hand, women are expected to oppose these alternatives as they may pose a certain threat to them. If substitute goods satisfy a portion of the demand for sex, it can reduce the overall demand for access to the female body, resulting in a decrease in the price of sex.
However, as numerous studies have shown, the majority of people still prefer to have sex with female partners rather than masturbate or use the services of prostitutes. Nevertheless, women have to compete not only with substitute goods but also with each other. In this situation, a rational economic strategy pushes women to unite on the principle of monopoly and increase the value of their services through artificial supply restriction. In real life, this manifests in women pressuring each other, advocating for sexual restraint.
History shows that success in uniting market players into a monopoly or cartel is unlikely to be sustained. One prominent example is the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which brings together states with often opposing interests. However, monopolies have sometimes been excessively successful, prompting many developed countries to enact laws against them. Therefore, it is logical to assume that economic interest will occasionally compel women to work together to limit the availability of sex. For example, at the end of the 20th century in Italy, it was female parliamentarians who “pushed through” a law that banned legal prostitution in the country. Of course, prostitution simply went underground, where it continued to flourish, but the attempt to eliminate competitors in the market of sexual services was evident.
How to Effectively Increase Prices for Goods
The theory of sexual exchange suggests that the sex market brings together different pairs and tends to stabilize prices. However, prices can vary within a single community.
For example, some women tend to set higher prices than the market average. It is logical that the more admirers a woman has, the higher the price for access to her body will be. Since a woman’s attractiveness depends not only on her natural qualities but also on the efforts, time, and material investments she puts in, practically any girl has the ability to increase her own sexual attractiveness and set a higher price.
A woman is similar to an entrepreneur introducing a product to the market, so improving the quality of this product would be a reasonable strategy. Another way to increase demand for one’s product is through advertising. In the realm of romantic relationships, flirting, seduction, and wearing provocative clothing can be considered forms of advertising. In other words, a man who shows interest in a woman is a potential customer. The more interested glances there are, the more potential customers there will be. A mini-skirt and aggressive makeup make a woman more noticeable, thus increasing her chances of attracting more interested men.
However, the aforementioned attributes do not necessarily imply that a woman is sexually available and ready to sleep with anyone she encounters. It simply stimulates demand, similar to a real estate agent who wants to have many potential customers to drive up prices. The task of a woman who wants to sell herself at a higher price is to maintain scarcity.
Thus, the sexual economy explains why the theory of a woman’s value depending on her sexual history originated in society and why many women tend to downplay the number of their sexual partners.
Feminism – a response to injustice
Feminism is a reaction to injustice. Sex, in principle, is just one of several ways in which a woman can gain access to material goods and resources. However, there are many communities where these alternative options for women are inaccessible or strictly limited. For example, in African countries, the Middle East, and Central Asia. When women lack rights and economic opportunities, sex can become the primary factor determining their well-being throughout their lives. If sex is the only source of income for a woman, she will undoubtedly strive to maintain a high price for it.
However, in conditions of extreme poverty, the opposite tendency can be observed. Most middle-class women tend to be more restrained in their sexual behavior, which ensures a higher price for them, while women from lower social strata are forced to sell sex at the lowest possible price. This explains the desire of men to oppress and subjugate women, limiting their participation in the economic activities of society. The desire to reduce the price for sex makes it understandable why men have motivation to keep women in disadvantageous financial positions.
Women in need of money are likely to be more willing to enter into marriage, become mistresses, sugar babies, or engage in prostitution. Such circumstances inevitably gave rise to the emergence and widespread dissemination of feminism. Interestingly, Marxist feminism considers control over female sexuality as the primary mechanism of male dominance. Sex-negative feminists, on the other hand, oppose turning sex into a commodity for consumption. They are vehemently against prostitution, pornography, and the use of sex to sell unrelated goods.
There was no Sex
The economy influences not only the nature of sexual relationships between people but also the quality of sex itself. When women are not limited by financial constraints, they have choices, including sexual choices. Overall, economic independence determines the quality of one’s sexual life. The higher the former, the better the latter.
For instance, in the second half of the 20th century, women in socialist countries in Eastern Europe, many of whom worked in production, had greater financial independence than women in capitalist countries in Western Europe, many of whom were housewives. This led some researchers to claim that under socialism, women were more satisfied with their sexual lives.
However, it would be incorrect to extrapolate this assertion to all countries in the socialist bloc. For example, in the USSR, women suffered from endless shortages of goods, including contraceptives. Booklets on sexual hygiene, published between 1960 and 1985, suggested lemon acid douching or a solution of boric alcohol as contraceptive methods. Women were also advised to make their own contraceptive tampons, which needed to be soaked in a special solution and inserted at least half an hour before intercourse. Sex under such circumstances was likely a questionable pleasure.
The Price of Sex
The industrial production of condoms in the early 20th century significantly changed the economics of sex. Marina Adshade, a Canadian economist and sociologist and author of the book “Dollars and Sex: How Economics Influences Sex and Love,” explains this using the example of an unmarried woman living in 1930. Engaging in unprotected sex with her lover, she had an 85 % chance of getting pregnant. If she became pregnant, she would lose the opportunity to marry a man with a good income because she would now be branded as the mother of an illegitimate child. As a result, she could lose approximately 50,000 dollars (equivalent to around 730,000 dollars today), which would have been provided by her husband during their marriage.
In this case, the costs of premarital unprotected sex can be easily calculated by multiplying the probability of pregnancy by the lost income, resulting in 45,000 dollars. If condoms were used, the probability of pregnancy would decrease to 45 % – the standard contraceptive rate in the 1930s. In this scenario, the costs would be halved, amounting to 22,500 dollars. Therefore, despite their high cost, condoms gained immense popularity.
The fact that demand for a sought-after product or service increases as the price, or buyer’s costs, decrease while maintaining quality aligns perfectly with the laws of the market.
It is evident that the history of the liberalization of sexual life in the second half of the 20th century is also an economic history. Sex, romantic relationships, and marriage are not only matters of physiology and emotions but also a part of the economy.
If one listens to how people negotiate short-term or long-term sexual partnerships, it becomes clear that all these agreements are valid within the framework of a limited economy: a service for a service, she for him, he for her. Revolutions almost always begin for economic reasons, and the sexual revolution is no exception.
But whatever the relationship between sex and money, the most valuable thing for every person is his health. Often, due to illness, people simply forget to have sex, even if they have the opportunity. To prevent this from happening, it is useful to use the “Genbrain” product, which improves memory and concentration, and also enhances mental endurance. Using this tool, you can significantly improve the quality of your life, including your sexual life!
