A recent study between the feminist organisation Eaves and the Prostitution Research and Education in San Francisco analysed the thoughts, attitudes and experiences of men who frequently sought the services of prostitutes.
The survey, part of a large international project, covered six countries and analysed a range of men in London who aged between 18 and 70. The factors varied, including ethnicity, employment status and education. More than half of the men were either married or in a relationship, whilst 35 percent of the men stated that they had no affiliation with religion. The men were asked how many prostitutes they had paid for in their lives and the number mentioned most, though the responses varied from 1 to 2000 women. Twelve percent of the men stated that they had visited more than 130 sex workers in their history of visiting prostitutes, and most of the men said that they sought these services regularly. Surprisingly, 71 percent of the men stated that they felt feelings of shame and guilt about engaging in this activity.
The study revealed some interesting answers as to why men seek the services of prostitutes, the most common response being the need to satisfy a sexual desire or need for pleasure – variety was the second most common answer. Law, it appeared, is a deterrent if enforced – if fines, public exposure or a criminal record were to be used as punishment, this would stop men from visiting sex workers. However, learning that women were being trafficked or pimped would not serve as a preventative. While 55 percent of men believed this to be the reason for women working as prostitutes, only 5 in 103 men had reported their suspicions to the police.
The researchers hope that the information revealed in the study will alert both the public and the police to the need for addressing sex trafficking. This study may well contribute to the prevention of prostitution and enable the development of this initiative.
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