"Äh sugardejting i sig det är ju alltså prostitution". En rättssociologisk studie om sugardejting

Sammanfattning: Sugar dating is a phenomenon in which peoples’ company and intimacy is traded for gifts and luxurious consumption. This study investigates what difficulties and possibilities exist for the regulation of sugar dating. In order to answer this question, the study also investigates how representatives of the Swedish police and the County Administrative Boards of Sweden(länsstyrelser) perceive the phenomenon of sugar dating. Semi-structured interviews with representatives of the Swedish police and of the County Administrative Boards of Sweden were conducted in order to answer the study´s questions. In interpreting the interviewees´ answers, a norm perspective regarding the interplay between social and legal norms is used. Zygmunt Baumans perspective on the development of a postmodern society is also used as a theoretical framework. The study concludes that both the representatives from the police and the County Administrative Boards of Sweden perceive sugar dating as prostitution and in need of regulation. The study also concludes that factors regarding the gendered and financial aspects of sugar dating make regulation of sugar dating difficult. Nevertheless, there seem to be a possibility for law to regulate sugar dating by avoiding a complete prohibition of sugar dating whilst instead, for example, increasing state supervision of sugar dating websites. The authors stress the need for an eventual regulation to accommodate women´s perspective and experiences of sugar dating since women frequently seem to be the sellers in sugar dating.