The Oldest Profession - Shocking Facts and Statistics About Prostitution

Randall Swift, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Nov 23, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Prostitution is referred to as the world's oldest profession - although it is a risky industry filled with a faÃ§ade of women and men being paid to please the opposite sex sexually there are a vast amount of men and women who would be considered prostitutes currently in the profession in the United States.

Male and female sex workers can be found in every city, in every country of the world. From prostitution on the street to high paid escorts - the profession is not getting smaller. It is growing with less of a stigma - a scary thought for the future. Some think it should be legalized, and I agree - for the reason that it would make the sex industry a safer place to work.

I was shocked that nearly 50% of men have been with a prostitute, I am a man - and I have never had the experience. Serial customers refer to themselves as "hobbyists". Shocked - I will never think of my hobbies the same.

70% of female inmates in American prisons were initially arrested for prostitution

Prostitutes report being "horribly beaten" by their pimps an average of 58 times a year

Over 1 million people in the US have worked as prostitutes

77.8% of arrests are women, 22.2% men

Prostitutes account for 90% of the arrests, their clients for only 10%

85-90% of those arrested are street prostitutes, who account for 20% of prostitutes

Only 3-5% of STDs are prostitution-related

80% of prostitutes have been sexually assaulted, some raped as many as 8-10 time annually

97% of house-prostitutes like themselves more after than before becoming prostitutes

59% of prostitutes have thought of committing suicide, compared to 61% of non-prostitutes

All arrests of prostitutes involve entrapment, invasion of privacy, and/or the use of discriminatory laws/tactics

There is no statistical indication in the U.S. that prostitutes are vectors of HIV

In a study in London, England 50% of clients were married, or cohabiting

70% of adult men have engaged in prostitution at least once

Call girls and brothel workers had higher self esteem than before they became prostitutes

Male prostitutes sometimes report that their clients include married men who identify as heterosexual

Street prostitution accounts for between 10 to 20% of the prostitution in larger cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York

The average age of entry into prostitution is 13 years

52% of the women stated that pornography played a significant role in teaching them what was expected of them as prostitutes

A Canadian Report on Prostitution and Pornography concluded that girls and women in prostitution have a mortality rate 40 times higher than the national average

All of the respondents in the New York study listed finances as their reason for getting into sex work

Now you know the facts, you can come to your own conclusions.

Published by Randall Swift

I am a scientist who observes the world around me with fresh ideas. View profile