Why some women say `sweetie`?

as an expression of not taking men serious when trivialising men to a "sweetie", except it is the own wife that calls her hubby a sweety or a sugarstick etc.

I always found it disrespectful for younger people to call an older person those names unless they are actually in a relationship. Like I dont mind an older woman calling me sweetie but it sounds condescending for a girl my age or younger to do it to me. They probably dont mean anything by it but I personally do not like it. A woman my age called me sweetie and the first thought that came to mind was "what did I do wrong and why is she taunting me?" Now she probably didn't mean anything bad but those were my thoughts.

Did you move to the South? When I visited there, I was called that even when I was young, by attractive girls my age. It was thrilling, but meant nothing.

yeah I have met women like that, I sorta like it

lol.. women in my family do it because we are all horrible at remembering names. *note: we are in the southeast, so "hon" is accepted here.