Men procuring sexual services from women: everyman or peculiar man?

Abstract

Objective: To explore characteristics of men procuring sexual services from women.
Design: Quantitative study using questionnaires and purposive sampling.
Setting: New South Wales, Australia including brothels and outreach organisations where sex worker is decriminalised.
Participants: 309 men who reported procuring sexual services with women.
Results: Primary motivations for procurement included thrill/excitement and attractiveness of the sex worker. Cluster analysis identified five groups, the most frequent being those with a drive for exciting, thrill-seeking sex with an attractive partner and those with the same drive but not wanting investment. High proportions of men were married, in professional employment and did not present with a criminal history. Sexual experiences procured were conventional. Procurement presented as an enduring behaviour maintained across decades, commencing at a young age. Involvement in procurement preceded decriminalisation.
Conclusion: The results do not support men’s procurement as primarily ‘deviant’. Commonality of procurement and similarities across motivations lends support to the ‘everyman’ perspective. Professionals may need to explicitly enquire about such behaviour where relevant to do so (e.g. in discussing sexual health) and in doing so ensure procurement is discussed as normative and not as unusual behaviour.