More than 100,000 single moms are turning to “sugar dating.”
That’s according to the website SeekingArrangement.com, which connects younger women with wealthy older men.
According to the website, the average “sugar baby” gets nearly $3,000 in gifts a month from their “sugar daddies.”
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In an exclusive interview, an Orange Park single mom tells Action News Jax it’s helping her ease the financial burden of raising her son.
After Kim’s long-term relationship with her son’s father ended, money became a challenge.
“It got to the point where he was wanting to go do things, or wanting things, and I couldn’t provide," said Kim, who asked Action News Jax not to use her last name to protect her 8-year-old’s privacy. "And it made me feel kind of really low.”
After meeting her current sugar daddy on SeekingArrangement.com eight months ago, they now live together.
Kim said her son doesn’t know about the arrangement.
“He knows about him as a person, but he does not know what the of agreement, relationship, anything like that. We’ve left it as, we’re friends and we’re staying here for help,” she said.
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Kim said her sugar daddy provides about $3,000 a month, sometimes more.
She said that while she has “chemistry” with her sugar daddy, it’s not a sexual relationship.
“At this moment, no. It could lead into something. We haven’t got that far,” said Kim. “There is romance, but it’s not about romance. It’s about filling each other’s needs, showing guidance, support, emotional help and, obviously, financial.”
A SeekingArrangement.com spokesperson told Action News Jax a survey of 100,000 sugar baby mothers found they turned the practice to help with unpaid child support, day care costs and rising rents.