Sorry for reviving a zombie thread but I just thought I'd share my story because it relates to the OP.
I'm a single man, fast approaching forty, never married and with no kids, not ugly, reasonable job and a humble home of my own, who's recently become romantically involved with a thirty two year old woman. I've known her for four years and always liked her but we'd always had partners before so it was only ever platonic. When she found out I was single she sent a very direct message over Facebook and I accepted. After the third (consensual and amazing) time together within the space of a week, I asked her to be my girlfriend. She went quiet, the atmosphere changed. After a bit of coaxing I found out that she can't be my girlfriend because she has a 'Sugar Daddy', an ugly, overweight but rich geezer, old enough to be her father and then some.
I find the whole idea of it nauseating and sickening. He approached her at the school gates eighteen months back after discovering that her cheating ex had gone and, knowing of her financial problems, made her a low ball offer, £1000 a month, to accompany him on his business outings, cuddle up with him on his sofa in the evenings, perform secretarial work for him and have sex with him when he demands it.
She likes me, she wants to be with me but she doesn't feel comfortable with taking my help to support her three children. I offered to support her as much as I could but since we've only just recently become involved she feels it would be too much to ask of me to take on that responsibility. I'd sooner accept that responsibility than accept that she's being exploited and used by someone who she thinks is a sociopath and who she doesn't find remotely attractive. You're right - Women in these sham 'relationships' do find it difficult to have meaningful relationships outside of their arrangements.
She's said that she's going to try to get out of it herself, that it's not my role to help her. Personally, now I know about this guy's wealth and sociopathic tendencies, I'm quite worried about how he'll react if/when she tells him she wants out. IMO, calling it a 'Sugar Daddy/Baby relationship' is simply re-branding prostitution, nastily at that, the exploitation is just as real and the risks just as high, potentially higher because the John may be deluding himself that since he socializes with you and it's not 'just' sex, that you have meaningful feelings for him and that he owns more of you than just the right to have sex with you. The danger of breaking off this kind of 'contract' is very real. I'd say to any woman contemplating engaging in this sort of 'agreement' to think very, very carefully. Hell, that's a lie, I'd tell them NEVER to sleep with anyone for any reason other than mutual attraction and respect.
Wish me luck, I don't know how this is going to pan out yet but I'm quite stressed and pretty heartbroken right now. I'm just glad I've not got any daughters, frankly, this is a horrible world.