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Demand for Prostitution

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lightbulbAbout this topic
Demand for prostitution refers to the desire and economic need for sexual services in exchange for payment. This phenomenon is influenced by various factors, including socio-economic conditions, cultural attitudes towards sex and sexuality, and legal frameworks governing sex work. It encompasses the motivations and behaviors of individuals seeking such services.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Demand for prostitution refers to the desire and economic need for sexual services in exchange for payment. This phenomenon is influenced by various factors, including socio-economic conditions, cultural attitudes towards sex and sexuality, and legal frameworks governing sex work. It encompasses the motivations and behaviors of individuals seeking such services.

Key research themes

1. How does criminalization or legalization of prostitution affect demand and the welfare of sex workers?

This theme investigates the impact of different legal frameworks—criminalization of clients, decriminalization, or legalization—on demand for paid sex, client behavior, sex workers' health and safety, and the overall dynamics of the sex industry. It matters because policy approaches aim either to reduce demand or improve working conditions, but the empirical effectiveness and consequences remain contested and under-researched.

Key finding: Using two waves of the British NATSAL surveys (2000-01 and 2010-12), this study documents that criminalization of clients coincided with an altered client profile and a decline in demand for paid sex, but also led to... Read more
Key finding: Analysis of interviews with 69 sex workers during the COVID-19 lockdown—effectively a prohibition of sex work—revealed that criminalizing sex work disproportionately worsened conditions for the most vulnerable workers,... Read more
Key finding: This paper argues that legalization and decriminalization of prostitution can promote sex trafficking by legitimizing pimps and brothels and expanding the industry, citing data from the Netherlands and Germany where... Read more
Key finding: Conducted in Switzerland where prostitution is legal, this study finds sex workers still experience high rates of client-perpetrated offenses with risky spatial and social settings implicated. It suggests that even in... Read more
Key finding: This comprehensive review highlights that arresting clients may reduce street prostitution and deter some buyers, although overall demand effects are inconclusive. It emphasizes that interventions like ‘John schools’ shift... Read more

2. What are the psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of men who demand paid sexual services?

This research focus seeks to identify demographic profiles, motivations, sexual attitudes, and behavioral correlates of men who buy sex. Insights here inform demand reduction strategies and highlight links between demand for prostitution and broader patterns of sexual aggression or entitlement.

Key finding: Compared to matched non-buyers, men who purchase sex endorse more rape myths, exhibit greater likelihood to engage in sexual aggression, hold hostile masculine attitudes, and demonstrate less empathy towards prostituted... Read more
Key finding: The study on male prostitutes suggests entry into prostitution correlates more strongly with financial gain, homosexual orientation, and early sexual experiences rather than adverse family backgrounds. This nuanced... Read more
Key finding: Ethnographic work on Portuguese clients crossing into Spain shows spatial and symbolic elements shape men's negotiation of their sexual purchases, allowing them to manage stigma and reconcile commercial sex with social roles.... Read more

3. How do perceptions and terminology affect public attitudes towards the demand for prostitution and sex work?

This line of inquiry examines how differences in conceptual framing and language—for example, using ‘prostitution’ versus ‘sex work’ or ‘transactional sex’—influence public acceptance and policymaking about demand for paid sex. Understanding these perceptual variations is crucial for shaping discourse and effective interventions.

Key finding: Survey evidence shows that the word ‘prostitution’ elicits stronger negative attitudes and higher rejection compared to ‘sex work’ or ‘transactional sex’. ‘Sex work’ yields more neutral responses and better captures public... Read more
Key finding: Survey data reveal that people predominantly associate paid sex with in-person physical contact activities rather than online or non-physical acts. Political ideology shapes these associations: conservatives link paid sex... Read more
Key finding: This paper critiques claims of neutrality in prostitution research, arguing that ideological underpinnings fundamentally shape interpretations of demand and supply. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging social... Read more
Key finding: Survey analysis shows women are more likely than men to support prohibition of prostitution, with prohibitionist attitudes cutting across political parties but not linked significantly to religiosity. Public attitudes thus... Read more

All papers in Demand for Prostitution

El pago por servicios sexuales ha despertado interés recientemente desde los estudios feministas y de género. Una de las principales explicaciones ofrecidas a dicho comportamiento, teniendo en cuenta la gran presencia de hombres en el... more
La prostitución y el mal que la acompaña, la trata de personas, son incompatibles con la dignidad y el valor de la persona humana".
La trata de seres humanos se constituye en reflejo de aquella esclavitud de tiempos pasados. La fenomenologia de la trata de seres humanos se caracteriza por ser una de las mas escandalosas y sangrantes formas de reduccion del ser humano... more
This paper reports the economic activity of sex workers for its inclusion into gross domestic product (GDP) for the UK National Accounts. Markets in consenting but nonetheless illicit activities, including commercial sexual activity and... more
Santa Clara abr.-jun. COMUNICACIÓN Afrontamiento a la violencia en el noviazgo: reto y compromiso de la universidad médica cubana Coping with dating violence: challenge and commitment of the
Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto
El hecho de consumir prostitución es una práctica masculina que está imbricada en la desigualdad de género y tiene relación con el mantenimiento de un modelo determinado de masculinidad (hegemónica). Este artículo presenta los principales... more
Introducción: la violencia en la población infantojuvenil en Cuba con enfoque de género ha sido poco estudiada. Objetivo: determinar los patrones de violencia de género en el tiempo en estudios previos desarrollados en La Habana. Métodos:... more
This paper reviews qualitative data from academic research into prostitution, accounts from prostitutes themselves in the UK and Australia, and data from one of the authors' own research in New South Wales to analyse the ways in which... more
Muchas gracias por estar aquí. Vamos a desarrollar la mesa en base a preguntas, para retomar luego el núcleo de cada uno de los temas. Pensando en este título, Identidad de la UBA y marcas de la historia en el presente, ahora se habla... more
This study would not have been possible without the support of hundreds of participants, including professionals across statutory, academic and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Most notably, we heard from over 500 individuals... more
On survey data from 1999-2001 and 2010-2012 we estimate the demand for commercial sex among British men. We estimate a zero-inflated count model, which takes into account the probability of not participating in the sex market and number... more
En las sociedades occidentales desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial el consumo ocupa un lugar central tanto en la reproducción social como en la configuración de las identidades individuales y colectivas. Desde hace algunas... more