In recent years the rising cost of student debt has given birth to an odd phenomenon: a population of ostensibly generous older men who appear poised to solve the higher-education crisis, one student at a time. But that description could be, shall I say, sugarcoating it. Yes, these men are ponying up their money—plus more—for financially struggling students. In other words, these benefactors typically expect some compensation from their beneficiaries—students who generally tend to be women willing to accept the help from the men in exchange for providing some tender loving care.
And, at least, flaunting their good looks. And the subculture—"daddies" and "babies" alike—appears to be expanding rapidly. The trend itself, let alone writing about it, might seem frivolous or demeaning. But the data could clarify what's going wrong with the system and where those problems lie. Moreover, these debt figures exclude for-profit colleges, which are notorious for their especially high student debt-default rates.
As a result, young women across the country are turning to sugar daddies in droves. The website claims that 42 percent of its members are students, many of whom are incentivized by SeekingArrangement to join; people who sign up with a.
The whole thing may seem shady, but in its defense SeekingArrangement has strict rules prohibiting the exchange of money on its site.
It also apparently has an in-house team that does background checks on members. Understandably, the company is mired in controversy. One New York Post contributor even accused the sugar-baby industry of trying to justify prostitution , one of the many claims to which SeekingArrangement eventually responded with a disclaimer.
