Older Male Clients of Female Sex Workers in the United States

Abstract

Recent research has provided increased information about the clients of sex workers; however, little is known about the population of older male customers who contract for heterosexual services online. Clients (N = 208) between 60 and 84 years of age were obtained through sex work review sites and online discussion forums. Participants completed a 129-item questionnaire focusing on physical health, sexual and non-sexual behaviors with sex providers, and the qualities sought in the same. More than half reported having visited sex providers between 13 and 24 times or more during the past 12 months. Participants' advancing age was positively associated with frequency of paid sex. Most frequent sexual activities with providers were fellatio without a condom, followed by penile-vaginal sex with a condom. Analyses also examine the relationship between aging and buying sex. Those with higher incomes and without spouses or partners were more likely to report non-sexual activities with providers, and many participants sought a "GFE" or girlfriend experience, in which paid sexual exchanges are part of a relationship that mirrors conventional non-remunerative relationships.

Are Men Who Pay for Sex Sexist? Masculinity and Client Attitudes Toward Gender Role Equality in Different Prostitution Markets

“…Sanders finds that regulars, men who return to the same providers for services, talk about escaping from the dominant roles they often play in their other worlds, and it was not a discourse of entitlement (Sanders, 2008b). Studies of clients in indoor markets find similar patterns, that clients view paying for sex more as one would other consumer services, using their consumer power to meet physical, sexual, emotional or social needs (Bernstein, 2007;Joseph & Black, 2012;Milrod & Monto, 2016;Milrod & Weitzer, 2012;Peng, 2007;Pettinger, 2013;Sanders, 2008aSanders, , 2008b. Valuing women's abilities as "professionals" seems to characterize clients in online markets as much as a desire for feminine services (Pettinger, 2011).…”

The prevalence and correlates of oral sex among low-tier female sex workers in Zhejiang province, China

“…We reported that the prevalence of oral sex practiced by low-tier FSWs in this study was 21.9%. Since we only measured this prevalence during the previous month, we are not able to compare this result with overseas FSWs [14,15] or those in China [16], nor could we compare these data with those of common…”

“…We are not clear about the rate of condom use in oral sex, but could speculate that oral sex is much less protected than other sex practices. Foreign studies have shown that oral sex among FSWs and their clients is less protected [14,15]. One Chinese study revealed that 70.1% of FSWs always used condoms to protect themselves when they had vaginal sex with clients, and this figure was 57.9% for anal sex but only 22.7% for oral sex [16].…”

“…Oral sex is one of the most common sexual activities in commercial sexual services provided by low-tier FSWs, with studies on older male clients of FSWs in the US [14] and Peru [15] reporting that over 95% had engaged in oral sex with FSWs or clients over their lifetime. One Chinese study documented that 43.5% of FSWs had practiced oral sex [16], with the prevalence of Chinese heterosexual STD clinic attendees at 6.9% [17].…”

Sex Workers Who Provide Services to Clients with Disability in New South Wales, Australia

“…While research specifically involving older clients is still sparse, initial findings from one survey have shown that the frequency of paid sex was positively associated with the advancing age of respondents (Milrod & Monto, 2016 (Wotton, 2016a).…”