Archive · 13 Sep 2026
Opinion: Gold-digging is not exclusive to women in dating
This is an opinion article about people dating partly for money or other benefits.
The writer says this behavior is not limited to women.
She argues that men can also benefit from wealthy partners.
She believes men are less likely to be called gold diggers.
The article gives an example of a woman paying many expenses for her boyfriend.
It also discusses women who work while still doing most household tasks.
A small study in Austria is mentioned, but the writer says its sample was limited.
The article suggests that sugar babies are more honest about wanting financial or career help from relationships.
The opinion article argues that men and people of all genders can pursue relationships for financial or practical benefits.
It says women are more often labeled “gold diggers,” while men’s access to women’s domestic labor and money is frequently normalized.
The writer describes a Gurugram man whose girlfriend pays for his cigarettes, phone installments, apartment furnishings and car.
The article contrasts this with traditional gender roles in which working women provide both income and unpaid household and caregiving labor.
It cites a small Austrian study linking gold-digging with certain personality traits, while acknowledging that only 351 people were surveyed.
- Who
- The writer discusses men, women, sugar babies and people of different sexual orientations and political views, including a Gurugram couple.
- What
- An opinion article argues that financial opportunism in dating is gender-neutral but that the label “gold digger” is applied disproportionately to women.
- When
- The article refers to a study conducted this year but does not specify the publication year.
- Where
- The examples include Gurugram and a study conducted in Austria.
- Why
- The writer aims to challenge gender stereotypes about who benefits financially from romantic relationships.
Gender-neutral interpretation
Traditional gendered framing
Who can be a gold digger?
Gender-neutral interpretation
The article argues that people of all genders can enter relationships for money, services, connections or other advantages.
Traditional gendered framing
The label is commonly directed at women, especially women who expect financially stable partners or refuse unpaid domestic labor.
What counts as relationship value?
Gender-neutral interpretation
The writer presents domestic work, caregiving and emotional support as benefits that men have historically received from women, sometimes alongside women’s paid employment.
Traditional gendered framing
The article describes critics who focus on women’s financial expectations while overlooking the benefits men may receive from partners’ money and unpaid labor.
How openly should financial motives be stated?
Gender-neutral interpretation
The writer praises sugar babies for openly saying they want support, such as an internship, rather than pretending the relationship is motivated only by romance.
Traditional gendered framing
The article contrasts this openness with relationships in which one partner appears to provide extensive financial support without clearly acknowledging that arrangement.
- Article type
- Opinion piece
- Central claim
- Gold-digging is not exclusive to women
- Example location
- Gurugram
- Reported expenses
- The woman said she paid for her boyfriend’s cigarettes, iPhone installments, apartment items and car
- Study location
- Austria
- Study sample
- 351 people
- Study finding reported
- Non-heterosexual, Left-leaning men scored higher on gold-digging measures than Right-wingers and Centrists
- Alternative example
- Sugar babies are presented as openly seeking financial or career benefits from relationships