In a study of 202 men conducted in the Boston area by clinical psychologist Melissa Farley and the non-profit group Prostitution Research and Education, men who pay for sex were found to be more likely to commit a number of crimes, including violent acts against women. The study was conducted via face-to-face interviews after recruiting subjects through the local paper. Subjects were first asked to reveal whether they buy sex. Then they were paired off based on background to test whether or not their attitudes would lead to crime in the future (current criminals buying more sex would be expected and was not the point of the study).
According to Reuters:
Almost three in four of the sex buyers reported they learned about sex from pornography, whereas only 54 percent of the non-buyers did so.
The two groups also held significantly different attitudes regarding whether prostitution was consenting sex or exploitation. Men who bought sex were significantly less empathetic toward women working as prostitutes.
Sex buyers “seemed to justify their involvement in the sex industry by stating their belief … that women in prostitution were intrinsically different from non-prostituting women,” the study’s authors said.
Sex buyers often commented that they liked the power relationship intrinsic to prostitution.
Men who paid for sex were more likely to report having committed felonies and misdemeanors, including crimes related to violence against women and those related to substance abuse, assault and weapons.
The buyers and non-buyers agreed that the most effective deterrent to buying sex would be to be placed on a list of men described as sex offenders. Jail time was also considered an effective deterrent.
The majority of both groups—61 percent of sex buyers and 70 percent of non-buyers—currently had a wife or girlfriend.
This is certainly an important question and one that bears directly on the impact of the accelerating sex trade. But 202 subjects recruited in the local paper by an activist with a ax to grind (Farley is an anti-prostitution activist) doesn’t seem to be good science. The stated goal of the study was to test whether sex purchasers would commit more crimes in the future by looking at their attitudes, and yet the most damning evidence was backward looking (felons buy more sex), which doesn’t prove much.
Perhaps the most challenging part of the study is the dependence on self-reporting. As reported in Newsweek yesterday, about a similar survey, men do not generally tell the truth about purchasing sex. So, finding subjects in the Boston study, via the newspaper, who claim not to buy sex would likely turn up subjects particularly sensitive to women’s plight, or at least claiming to be.
I applaud both the Newsweek study and the Boston study for appropriately shining a light on the issue of the growing prevalence of the sex trade and its potential negative consequences for both men and women. But we need much more comprehensive research to come to any real conclusions.
And, or course, it would help if we all started getting honest about what is going on.
—Photo Flickr/kyz
About Tom Matlack
I think a prostitute who is her own boss has one of the easiest jobs in the world.
@Chris- I disagree. Running a business well takes a lot of skill, esp if the business you are running is often illegal and leaves you in a very vulnerable situations. Definitely not easy, if you ask me.
I think this is the biggest issue regarding sex work: “Sex buyers “seemed to justify their involvement in the sex industry by stating their belief … that women in prostitution were intrinsically different from non-prostituting women,” This idea is not simply prevalent in sex buyers, it’s the general population at large, all genders included. This idea has to change if we actually want to see real societal shift that allows society to ignore sex workers as human beings.
Really? Really, really?
Sex (and sex work) is an art. I cannot imagine that these women can actually ‘get it up’ for all of their clients…are you attracted to everyone YOU meet?
The act of sex itself is work…mainly the physicality of the activity…I mean, I like running, but it some point my body gets tired.
Providing an enjoyable and convincing experience is work. Often these women are asked to perform specific acts or play specific roles, that is work.
Making sure you aren’t thrown in jail or put in harm’s way is work. If you ARE in harm’s way, getting out is work.
Often lying to your friends and family about what you do is work.
I could go on but the point here is that sex, while usually thought of as an activity more than a job, is precisely that for a sex worker. While I could never do it myself (then again, I could never be a doctor either), I rcognize that it’s not an easy job, and that sex workers do provide value to society.
I DO worry about criminalizing prostitution, an industry that will exist regardless (demand), and that attracts violence, drug use and trafficking due to this criminalization.
Sorry, but personally profiting from an industry that makes all of women’s sexuality into a rentable service is not “adding value to society.”. Adding value to her own wallet, sure. I really don’t appreciate that it’s at my expense. Or my mother’s. Or my sister’s or daughter’s.
One other thing. We don’t decriminalize things because we are too stumped to think of anything else to do. If it’s wrong, it is criminal. We don’t rationalize that stealing (another “old profession”) will take place no matter what we do, so we may as well find safer ways for thieves to steal.
Excuse the grammar of my post, I have not had my morning coffee.
Gotta say I have interviewed a few prostitutes, male and female, and frankly the job stinks. Can’t imagine how you would say its easy.
Constructing samples by matching has been thoroughly discredited because it invariably introduces huge sampling biases. It’s a 1950s technique at best. Spuriosity is a huge threat to the claims made here, and it’s quite likely that, if there is a relationship, some other things cause both. For example, it’s likely that being married affects both criminality and prostitute visits. The difference between 60 and 70 percent may be highly signnificant. Since age is a key driver of criminality, I’d love to see how it was controlled for.
This seems to be a classic case of selection bias. Buying sex in America is a serious legal offense. So if you’re willing to commit one serious legal offense, you’re more likely to be willing to commit others. A lot of people don’t buy sex because it’s illegal and they don’t want to be thrown in jail, which is the same rationale that prevents them from committing other violent acts. By essentially limiting the people who buy sex to “criminals”, you’re not isolating any variable at all. I would like to see a similar study conducted in a country where prostitution is legal.
Advertising for participants in a paper in the Boston area is likely to turn up the seedy types desperate for the $20 (or whatever amount they offered) in order to participate. Furthermore, as stated in comments above, what kind of individual would even know where to buy sex? (having lived in Boston 10+ years I don’t think I have ever seen a prostitute). This does seem like a study whose results were decided before it was designed.
“Furthermore, as stated in comments above, what kind of individual would even know where to buy sex?
You’re kidding, right? How about anybody capable of typing “Boston” and “escorts” into Google?
Seriously, the level of “othering” implicit in that question is a big part of the problem with so many conversations around this issue.
I actually agree with iamcuriousblue and Scott here, Scott is spot on that soliciting participants for a meager fee is going to bring out seedy guys, and those kinds of guys make the kind of sex purchaser only acceptable to some streetwalkers and CL type girls taking greater risks than a high end internet escort. Men with violent habits exist on the high end of prostitution, but usually in American Psycho fiction more than reality. Guys looking to assault girls go after girls who are lax about screening, desperate and/or supporting a drug habit they are powerless against. Other guys looking for easy targets in streetwalkers and backpage/craigslist ads are cops who can bust them more easily.
I agree with iamcurious that it’s quite simple to find escorts thanks to google, mainly eros, backpage, seo that escort agencies and indy girls who can afford it pay for to come up high ranked in “boston escorts” keyword searches etc
But Scott that’s straight naive to think “where in the world would I find an escort?” where there’s a will there’s a way and guys who want them can find them…if they are extra savvy they know further research tools than google.
Check out http://goodmenproject.com/sex-relationships/the-professional/ I’m not trying to say everyone leads the life of the happy college grad hooker who is never pestered by scumbags, but it’s a worthwhile rebuttal.
I think a very important question that went unasked and unanswered is:
Does the fact that prostitution is illegal make a big difference here?
I’m just guessing that if prostitution were not a criminal act, you would wind up with a notably different distribution of people. I’m guessing that in general people who engage in one sort of illegal activity are more likely to engage in other illegal activities.
Sure, some men may see prostitutes as undeserving of respect or human dignity or even legal rights. Do you think keeping it illegal makes that better or makes that worse?
Wow, Tom! This stuff always opens a huge can of worms… So thanks for writing! The fact is, it’s next-to-impossible to get sound social research any time on anything, so declarations of “nonsense!” are moot. I don’t think it’s any great act of social math, though, to see that a man who can make an intimate act into an economic exchange will necessarily have difficulty dealing with other facets of life. Studies I’ve read about these men suggest that their self-esteem suffers greatly from their behaviour, and that in turn must necessarily affect all of their relationships. How can a man find himself paying for sex, and not feel less of a man for it? I’d have difficulty, frankly, believing anything other than what the study suggests! Thank you for your continued breeching of the proverbial front, Tom!
@Tom: The Reuters and Newsweek studies are the same, I believe.
I highly encourage everyone to read the full, 5 page article on the study at Newsweek. It’s completely enthralling and very well written. It also goes a lot deeper than the synopsis presented here. For example, the study looked at “men who buy sex” – including going to strip clubs and using pornography – not just prostitution.
The article also addresses prostitution in other countries, the issue of legality, as well as men’s role in addressing trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. It’s really worth the read.
Thanks, Tom, for giving it air-time.
What a load that Newsweek article is. I don’t think kudos can be granted to Newsweek for the piece at all. Maybe it addresses prostitution and such, but it does it in such a way that completely obfuscates the issue. The piece was meant to show that buying sex (which is expanded to include pornography) and committing felonies are related. Correlation is not causation.
I find it disturbing to read this much support for legalization of the sex industry coming from MEN on a site that’s presumably about men’s role in stopping violence against women. Cattygurl is right that women in the life are severely stigmatized; no other woman wants to think their “like that” and no man wants to imagine that could be his mother or daughter.
In response to Rhett, I would argue pornography IS a form of prostitution, because sexual acts are being bought, mostly by men, repeatedly. The participants in the video have no power to stop the video from showing, even if they utterly regret being in it. The video may be sold to other sites with which they did not originally agree. There is actually a term called “realistic paranoia” which psychologists use to describe former porn participants, forced or not, who are terrified to go in certain places because they never know who may have seen their pictures/videos.
Just came across this thread, and wow, @Chris, there’s no way that it’s an easy job. You’re dealing with trying to advertise yourself in a field that is illegal. You have to get your name out there while trying not to get arrested. You’re constantly in fear that your next job could be the one everyone hears about on the news–that crazy guy who will injure/hurt you. If you get beaten, robbed, or raped, can you report it to the police without being stigmatized or charged yourself? Then there’s the physical stuff. While sex is very fun, it does get tiring eventually. You have to be in really good shape to be having sex all the time–especially with people you don’t find attractive, which would likely be most of your clientele. Which brings in the acting skills. Acting interested and turned on by that guy who could be smelly, ugly, overly talkative, 20 years older than you, married, an awkward teen, someone you would loathe in the real world, or like some very weird shit? And the stigma? Even sex workers want love, relationships, and good sex outside of the job. There are a limited amount of partners, friends, and family who would accept the way you make your living. Like every job, there are perks, but in no way does this one sound like it’s just a walk in the park.
Did anyone else catch the article’s suggested solution? Everyone convicted of paying for sex would be placed on the list of registered sex offenders. The implication is that this would be a deterrent to the buyers.
First of all, if an exchange of money for sex is illegal, then both parties should be registered sex offenders. The convicted prostitute would be just as much a sex offender as the customer. The purchaser is innocent of rape unless charged and proven guilty of it, so the presumption is that the exchange was consensual on the part of both people. (Clearly someone who’s convicted of prostitution is consenting to break the law, or else it wouldn’t be a crime.)
If only the customers are punished, that would be like only punishing the customers of drug dealers and not the drug dealers themselves.
Second of all, at some level there would have to be a judgment call about what counts as paying for sex. Cash is pretty obvious, but would it be illegal to trade sex for other services? (E.g., can’t afford to pay the plumber with my bank account, but perhaps an understanding can be reached?) Okay, if services also count as payment for sex, then where do you draw the line in a consensual sexual relationship? If my partner and I consent to exchange sex for sex, and paying for sex is illegal, then our consensual sex must be illegal.
Finally, the registered sex offender list as it already exists would give some glimpse into how well that would work. The threat of being on the list, or even being on the list, is clearly not a perfect deterrent. Adding customers and prostitutes to the list would probably make it ten times bigger. It would be even more impossible to find a neighborhood where you were more than a block away from a registered sex offender. It would lose a lot of its impact.