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A mistress is a relatively long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner, especially when her partner is married. Generally, the relationship is stable and at least semi-permanent, but the couple does not live together openly and the relationship is usually, but not always, secret. There is often also the implication (if not the fact) that the mistress is "kept"i.e. that her lover is paying for some (and sometimes all) of her living expenses.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Mistress )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Role of a Mistress: Is it as Glamorous as it Seems? )〕 The term "mistress" was originally used as a neutral feminine counterpart to "mister" or "master".〔 == Definition == Historically the term has denoted a "kept woman", who was maintained in a comfortable (or even lavish) lifestyle by a wealthy man so that she will be available for his sexual pleasure. Such a woman could move between the roles of a mistress and a courtesan depending on her situation and environment. In modern times, however, the word "mistress" is used primarily to refer to the female lover of a man who is married to another woman; in the case of an unmarried man, it is usual to speak of a "girlfriend" or "partner". Historically, a man "kept" a mistress. As the term implies, he was responsible for her debts and provided for her in much the same way as he did his wife, although not legally bound to do so. In more recent times, it is more likely that the mistress has a job of her own, and is less, if at all, financially dependent on the man.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=What Does Mistress Mean? )〕 A mistress is not a prostitute: while a mistress, if "kept", may, in some sense, be exchanging sex for money, the principal difference is that a mistress has sex with fewer men and there is not so much of a direct ''quid pro quo'' between the money and the sex act. There is usually an emotional and possibly social relationship between a man and his mistress, whereas the relationship to a prostitute is predominantly sexual. It is also important that the "kept" status follows the establishment of a relationship of indefinite term as opposed to the agreement on price and terms established prior to any activity with a prostitute. (There are also "kept men", both hetero- and homosexual.) A conceptually related term is gold digger, implying a mistress who enters a personal and usually sexual relationship with a wealthy man for access to his money and property; the principal distinction from a kept woman is that the usual goal of a gold digger is marriage, either by targeting an "eligible bachelor" or seeking to lead the man into a divorce from his current spouse. (The term has also been applied to men seeking relationships with wealthy women, and to homosexual relationships involving such an imbalance of affluence.) When there is a marked age difference as well, the older male is often referred to as a sugar daddy (female equivalents: ''sugar mommy/momma/mama''). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mistress (lover)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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