Prostitute users: young, married and professional

THE average person who uses prostitutes is a young, educated professional earning an average wage — and in 61% of cases he is married or in a relationship.

That is according to a survey by EscortSurveys.com who based its findings on the results of a detailed questionnaire filled in by more than 250 men who pay for sex.

The survey found 74% of the men were in third-level education, 74% were aged 25-44 years of age and most were earning between €30,000 and €50,000.

Most used an escort less frequently than monthly but also a significant 36.9% admitted they had used a street prostitute in the past.

Some 74% said they accessed services from a home computer and 58.7% said they thought escort websites had encouraged them to use escort services more often.

Of the respondents, 27% said they had been using the escorts for between one and three years, but a large number (15.9%) had been using them for more than 10 years.

One-in-four admitted they had met a woman they suspected was being forced to work in the industry. A small percentage admitted they had been offered sex with a girl who they believed was as young as 14. The youngest they admitted to taking up the offer with was 16.

Some 26% had been offered unprotected sexual intercourse and 75% had been offered unprotected oral sex. While most declined intercourse without a condom, 57% agreed to oral sex without protection.

Of the 252 respondents, 208 admitted they had been sex tourists using services in other countries. Britain and Holland were the most popular destinations.

A similar survey of the experiences of men who used women advertised on the Escort-Ireland website found the average spend per visit was €327, with 81% opting for in-calls (in the prostitute’s accommodation) as opposed to out-calls (the punter’s home or hotel room). The findings were based on 693 reviews from men who used the service.

The survey by EscortSurvey.com and the reviews on Escort-Ireland revealed different attitudes.

Among the comments submitted by punters were concerns that there was an increasing number of foreign women in the industry who potentially might be the victims of exploitation or trafficking.

On the other hand, many expressed a cavalier attitude, only caring about their own satisfaction.

Some complained that the prostitute did not look as good as the woman in the website pictures.

Others complained that they were made to wear a condom contrary to the internet advert or that the woman would not do a service which was listed on the site.

“If I wanted sex this bad, I would have stayed at home with the wife,” said one punter.

One of the biggest gripes is the cost with most saying the women overcharged.

However, even with that in mind, in the Escort Surveys findings, only three of the 252 men admitted their spending on escorts had caused serious financial problems.

One man admitted: “I think with the internet it has got too easy to access escort services. I havebecome addicted and am trying to give it up.”