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>What positive return is guaranteed that makes these relationships beneficial?

Why do you believe that guarantees are required? Or even that the return must be positive?

I don't believe it, I also don't treat/consider relationships as transactional. My argument is that if these relationships are transactional, there should be an obvious benefit otherwise most people would consider the potential gain to be too risky and not have these relationships.

People are likely subconsciously or otherwise doing the math. I had to take some calculated risks having kids because of some family history. And when folks get genetic testing, or abstain altogether, they too are weighing possible outcomes.

'Transactional' doesn't have to mean a perfectly balanced exchange or in kind. For some just a bit of acknowledgement is worth millions of dollars and/or years of sacrifice. For others they're never satisfied and forever feel cheated or unhappy with how they see things "balancing out" or failing to.

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