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Marina Adshade
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Dollars and Sex: How Economics Influences Sex and Love Hardcover – 1 April 2013
by Marina Adshade (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 65 ratings
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A most stimulating and rewarding read.-
-New York Journal of Books
Economists may seem soulless, unlikely guides to affairs of the heart. But 'Dollars and Sex, ' a delightful book by Marina Adshade, an economist at the University of British Columbia, may convince you otherwise.
-New York Times
Sex, love and romance are the obsessions of poets and songwriters. Why not of economists, too?
-Ben Steverman, Bloomberg
About the Author
Dr. Marina Adshade teaches economics at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. In 2008, she launched an undergraduate course titled Economics of Sex and Love, which invited her students to approach questions of sex and love through an economist's lens. The course was an instant hit, and led to the launch of the blog, Dollars and Sex.
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Hardcover : 272 pages
Paperback
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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JARoberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Smart, quirky bookReviewed in Canada on 28 July 2014
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Quite an interesting delve into the 'economics' of relationships. A solid lit-discussion and general re-think of traditional relationship perspectives. Lots of surprising results, and lots of relationships that show how real economic decision-making and our sense of morality may be at odds. Though not particularly prescriptive, there are pieces that you can apply to your own life, especially if you are young, though the real value is probably more in its ability to inform a wide variety of policy decisions.
Smart, quirky book.
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CD
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent BookReviewed in Canada on 29 November 2018
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Read this twice now. Such a fresh and interesting topic to apply economics to - goes to show that economics is everywhere and can be applied to many more things than we intuitively think. Thank you for the new perspective.
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Sarah H
3.0 out of 5 stars Some problems.Reviewed in the United States on 31 May 2019
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I thought most of the stuff in the book was interesting, especially comparing same-sex relationships to straight ones that are subject to gender roles, but the biggest problem I had was that the author doesn't understand the difference between promiscuity and date rape. Even when women outnumber men, patriarchy and rape culture still exist.
You have to keep in mind that you cannot fully separate economics from culture. Years of conditioning by a patriarchal culture can make a woman act against her economic well-being, like how the stigma of divorce made a woman stay with a husband who spends money on alcohol instead of saving, or a woman who's happy being unmarried is pressured into marriage.
She doesn't at all make a mention of the late 19th century American West where there was a shortage of women and the white prostitutes had bargaining power, but there was sex-trafficking of Chinese girls. The slightly higher % of girls to boys in colleges do not take into account that colleges are often run by men, combined with the fact that there's still patriarchy/rape culture.
She quotes a bias figure saying that about 10% of men are raising kids that are not biologically theirs (it's biased because that figure comes from cases where paternity was in question, not from the whole population).
The whole book assumes that the sex and marriage takes place in a capitalist setting (which makes sense because that is how the U.S is, so it's what all the statistics are for).
She has a very idealistic view of marriage that doesn't take into account that for many people, it was not a choice, and it's not the low probability of marriage that makes someone have unprotected sex.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Have you ever wondered why nice guys never get the girl?Reviewed in the United States on 14 December 2016
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Have you ever wondered why nice guys never get the girl? Well, Marina Adshade has some news for you. In 2008, Adshade piloted an undergraduate course at the Vancouver School of Economics called “The Economics of Sex and Love” and published her book Dollars and Sex: The Love Market in 2013 to encourage college students and young adults to learn more about how sex and economics are related.
The subject and style of Dollars and Sex challenges conventional thinking by connecting two inevitable aspects of a person’s life in a way that does not seem possible. Each chapter depicts a sexual behavior that is motivated by a certain macro or micro economic principle. One of my favorite chapters she writes is about interracial marriage and the opportunity cost it takes each race to marry a person from a different race. For each of these sexual behaviors Adshade creates compelling narratives depicting personal experiences that the reader can relate to and strengthen the overall connection between economics and sex. Even those of us who have very little knowledge about economics can see the benefit of reading this book. It guides the reader through the stages of their life by providing them with insight as to why people are motivated to participate in some of the most important situations of their lives such as dating in college, the reasons behind why people have sex, and eventually marriage.
Dollars and Sex is not perfect. There is a fundamental flaw in Adshade’s organization. Throughout every chapter there are separate subtitles that illustrate another experience but by incorporating these subtitles she is disrupting the flow of the main text. The first time I saw one I completely lost my place and train of thought. I would suggest skipping over them and then at the end of the chapter go back through and read the separate subtitles.
The book may portray some very depressing situations like never feeling loved or as if you are stuck in a constant cycle of meaningless sex but it can also help you learn how to navigate the dating market and make the most of every relationship you are a part of.
Adshade explores the relationship between sexual behaviors and the economic principles that drive those behaviors in the book, Dollars and Sex, a well-written and fun text that conveniently reveals a variety of our most romantic feelings and bedroom behaviors that previously have not been discussed. Dollars and Sex is certainly worth reading for those college students or young adults who are single or in a relationship because they can easily relate and learn from the experiences and situations portrayed in the book.
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Jamiel Cotman
4.0 out of 5 stars But no pictures?Reviewed in the United States on 16 December 2017
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Loved that this book tackles such a needed subject matter, namely, the economic backdrop to how we relate, date and love. Its always the thing that makes or breaks a relationship be it casual sex or lifelong marriage. I recommend this book for anyone in the dark on how relationships really work, what went wrong and what the hell is going on. It really sheds light on the raw mechanics of something as intangible as attraction and love
I couldn't give it 5 stars because for all of its amazing research and analysis it had little to any visual representation. That and I felt the author didnt take a bold position on what any of the studies seem to suggest [i.e. "these studies suggest, we're better off staying away from ..." ]
Great work!
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