Rapazes e sugar mamy's”: um estudo sobre os significados atribuídos às relações sexuais e afectivas entre rapazes e mulheres mais velhas na Cidade de Maputo (2022 - 2023)

Abstract

This research analyses the dynamics and developments of sexual and emotional relationships between young men and older women in Maputo City. The research sought to understand the meanings of sexual and emotional relationships between young men and older women in Maputo City. To understand this phenomenon, we chose the phenomenological theory of Alfred Schutz (1979), which summarises its assumptions in the search for the meanings that social actors attribute to their conduct. This is an exploratory research of a qualitative nature. In it, we adopted an inductive reasoning, which is processed through the phenomenological method. Two techniques were combined for data collection: bibliographical research and semi-structured interviews. The sample consisted of 10 individuals involved in “sugar” relationships. The data were discussed through content analysis. The results obtained show that: young men and older women share a lifeworld that is experienced intersubjectively. However, the motives that guide their behavior are distinct. On the one hand, young men‟s motivations are anchored in expectations of future satisfaction, based on monetary gains and other types of goods. On the other hand, older women‟s motivations are anchored in the search for sexual satisfaction, derived from their failed sexual experiences. Sugar relationships are established and sustained through verbal agreements that guarantee the satisfaction of expectations and reciprocal gains. We noted a certain complexity in this type of relationship. This complexity is due to the fact that these relationships are shaped by subjective decisions, which gives rise to small conflicts and constraints in society.