The Devaluation of Sex: Re-evaluating Relationship Incentives in the Modern Sexual Marketplace

Dr. Orion Taban argues that the current devaluation of sex, often lamented, may not be inherently negative. Historically, female sexual access was hyperinflated, priced at a lifetime of protection, provision, and commitment, which motivated men to achieve great things to meet this high cost. The advent of birth control and no-fault divorce, however, has significantly burst this 'bubble,' bringing the value of sex closer to its 'true value' and making it readily available for little cost, such as a couple of drinks.

This shift has profound implications for the sexual marketplace. While men are now less incentivized to exert significant effort to secure sex, the value of a man's commitment, particularly a high-value man's commitment, has dramatically surpassed the value of a woman's sexual access. This creates a new dynamic where women can no longer rely on their sexuality as the primary, or exclusive, strategy to secure a committed relationship, a strategy that has been prevalent for centuries.

For women seeking high-value male commitment, the practical insight is that they must now offer more than just sexual access. The podcast emphasizes that men seeking commitment are not primarily interested in a woman's professional achievements, degrees, or salary. Instead, they value a woman who is warm, supportive, feminine, useful, and does not create unnecessary problems in their lives. The host stresses the importance of heeding market feedback: if a woman struggles to secure consistent commitment from desired men, it indicates a need for self-reflection and adaptation rather than blaming external factors.

Broadly, this re-evaluation of sex's value presents a silver lining. Just as hyperinflated sexual access historically motivated men to 'become better,' the current market conditions can now motivate women to 'level up' and provide a broader range of goods, services, and experiences to transact at a comparable valuation to high-value male commitment. The podcast concludes by highlighting the vast, almost incomparable, valuation gap between female sexual access and the commitment of a high-value man, urging women to actively work to close this gap if they wish to achieve their relationship goals.

Sex in particular has been significantly devalued over the past 50 years.

birth control was essentially Black Tuesday for the valuation of sex. Its bubble has burst.

a lifetime of protection, provision, and commitment is an insanely high price to pay for sex.

the hyperinflation of female sexual access has historically motivated men to become better men, probably more than any other single incentive on this planet.

if the pill and no fault divorce existed 100 years ago, we would not have this collective nostalgia for our grandparents' relationships.

For perhaps the first time in a very long time, the value of a man's commitment significantly exceeds the value of a woman's sexual access.

women today cannot hope to secure commitment through sex, which for better or worse has been their primary, if not exclusive strategy for centuries.

To secure commitment, a woman needs to be useful to the man in question. and she cannot create unnecessary problems in his life.