Who is the customer?
Male sexual behaviour is less subject to social structures than female.
Women are categorized as “good girls” or “bad girls”, whereas males are subject to less dichotomized evaluation; promiscuous females are defined as “sluts”, whereas male promiscuity is a badge of honour.
The same double standard pervades our images of the actors involved in commercial sex transactions.
Gender bias is evident in public attitudes and cultural definitions of sex workers.
When we think of pornography, prostitution, and other sex work, we tend to think of female actors.
This is despite the fact that sex work involves at least two parties (at least one whom is usually male) and despite the fact that customers are much more numerous than the sex workers who service them.
In popular discourse, female sex workers are deviant women, whereas the customers are seen as essentially normal men.
There is, of course, some stigma in being a customer, in that it suggests some personal deficiency in men who “have to pay for it.”
But this stigma is much less that what the prostitute experiences.
The very terminology used – whore, hooker, harlot, slut – is heavily laden with opprobrium. By contrast, customers are referred to as johns, tricks, clients and patrons – fairly tame labels.
To get a picture about who is the customer, we have found figures from the
In January 1999 the National Institute of Justice in US,
Anonymous questionnaires were administered to men immediately prior to the first session of each day’s johns school.
More than 80 percent of all the male customers agreed to participate. (See source in the bottom of the page).
Customers´ backgroundcharacteristics |
| |||
Etnicity |
|
|
|
|
White |
|
|
61 |
% |
Hispanic / Latino |
|
18 |
% | |
Asian |
|
|
13 |
% |
Black |
|
|
4 |
% |
Other or combination |
|
4 |
% | |
|
|
|
|
|
Level of education |
|
|
| |
Did not graduate from high school |
8 |
% | ||
High schoolgraduate |
|
15 |
% | |
some college training |
|
35 |
% | |
Receivedbachelor´sdegree |
28 |
% | ||
Recivedgraduatedegree |
14 |
% | ||
|
|
|
|
|
Marital status |
|
|
| |
Married |
|
|
41 |
% |
Never married |
|
36 |
% | |
Divorced |
|
|
16 |
% |
Separated |
|
|
5 |
% |
Widowed |
|
|
2 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Work status |
|
|
| |
Workingfull time |
|
81 |
% | |
working part time |
|
7 |
% | |
Student |
|
|
2 |
% |
Other /unknown |
|
10 |
% | |
|
|
|
|
|
Age |
|
|
|
|
18-21 |
|
|
3 |
% |
22-25 |
|
|
10 |
% |
26-35 |
|
|
32 |
% |
36-45 |
|
|
34 |
% |
46-55 |
|
|
16 |
% |
56-65 |
|
|
4 |
% |
66 or older |
|
1 |
% | |
|
|
|
|
|
Parents divorced as a child |
|
| ||
Yes |
|
|
34 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Touched sexually by adult while a child |
|
| ||
Yes |
|
|
14 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Physically hurt for no reason as a child |
|
| ||
Yes |
|
|
14 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Served in armed forces |
|
| ||
Yes |
|
|
26 |
% |
Customers´ sexualbehavior |
| |||
Sexualorientation |
|
|
| |
Strictlyheterosexual |
|
94 |
% | |
Experience with both |
|
5 |
% | |
Strictlyhomosexual |
|
1 |
% | |
|
|
|
|
|
Numbers of sexual partners over the past year | ||||
None |
|
|
10 |
% |
1 |
|
|
34 |
% |
2 |
|
|
15 |
% |
3 or 4 |
|
|
18 |
% |
5 to 10 |
|
|
15 |
% |
11 or more |
|
|
8 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Frequency of sex over the past year |
| |||
Not at all |
|
|
9 |
% |
Once or twice |
|
9 |
% | |
Aboutonce per month |
15 |
% | ||
2-3 times per month |
|
21 |
% | |
Aboutonce per week |
|
18 |
% | |
2-3 times per week |
|
17 |
% | |
More than 3 times per week |
7 |
% | ||
Do not know |
|
4 |
% | |
|
|
|
|
|
How often looks at pornographic magazines | ||||
Never |
|
|
31 |
% |
Less than once a month |
40 |
% | ||
One to a few times a month |
20 |
% | ||
One to a few times a week |
7 |
% | ||
Everyday |
|
|
2 |
% |
Several times a day |
|
0 |
% | |
|
|
|
|
|
How often watches pornograpic DVD´s |
| |||
Never |
|
|
35 |
% |
Less than once a month |
35 |
% | ||
One to a few times a month |
21 |
% | ||
One to a few times a week |
6 |
% | ||
Everyday |
|
|
3 |
% |
Several times a day |
|
0 |
% | |
|
|
|
|
|
Age at first encounter with a prostitute |
| |||
9-17 |
|
|
18 |
% |
18-21 |
|
|
33 |
% |
22-25 |
|
|
20 |
% |
26-35 |
|
|
21 |
% |
36-45 |
|
|
7 |
% |
46 or over |
|
|
1 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Circumstances of first sexual encounter with prostitute | ||||
Buddies set it up |
|
22 |
% | |
Prostitutesapproached |
31 |
% | ||
Approached prostitute without others knowing |
31 |
% | ||
Family member set him up |
5 |
% | ||
Visited a borthel |
|
3 |
% | |
Other |
|
|
8 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Most common sexual activity with prostitute | ||||
Oral sex |
|
|
47 |
% |
Vaginal sex |
|
14 |
% | |
Half and half (oral and vaginal) |
12 |
% | ||
Hand job |
|
|
6 |
% |
Other |
|
|
5 |
% |
Two or more are equally common |
16 |
% | ||
|
|
|
|
|
How often use condom with the prostitute | ||||
Never |
|
|
3 |
% |
seldom |
|
|
3 |
% |
sometimes |
|
9 |
% | |
Often |
|
|
10 |
% |
Always |
|
|
75 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Prostitution shouldbelegalized |
| |||
Agreesomewhat or strongly |
74 |
% | ||
|
|
|
|
|
Prostitution shouldbedecriminalized |
| |||
Agreesomewhat or strongly |
72 |
% |
Motives for seekingprostitutes |
|
|
|
|
| ||
|
|
(Percentages agreeing to the statements) |
| ||||
Statement: |
Total |
Repeatuser |
First timer |
College graduate |
Non-graduate |
Married |
Not married |
I have difficulty meeting women who are not dancers or prostitutes. |
23,4 |
29,2* |
14 |
17,1* |
28,5 |
19,9 |
26,1 |
I think most women find me unattractive physically. |
23,3 |
24,7 |
21 |
16* |
29,1 |
21 |
25,1 |
I want a different kind of sex than my regular partner (wants). |
42,6 |
49,6* |
31,3 |
49,1* |
37,4 |
50,2* |
36,7 |
I am shy and awkward when I am trying to meet a woman. |
41,9 |
47,4* |
32,9 |
35,7* |
46,8 |
36,2 |
46,1 |
I would rather have sex with a prostitute than have conventional relationship with a woman. |
19,3 |
24,3* |
11,2 |
19,6 |
19,1 |
20,5 |
18,3 |
I am exited by the idea of approaching a prostitute. |
46,6 |
55,9* |
31,4 |
56,1* |
39,3 |
|
45,1 |
I do not have the time for a conventional relationship. |
33,3 |
38,4* |
25 |
31,1 |
35,2 |
25,7 |
39 |
I don´t want the responsibilities of a conventional relationship. |
29,5 |
34,8* |
20.6 |
26,4 |
32 |
23,9* |
33,7 |
I like to have a variety of sexual partners. |
44,1 |
53,9* |
27,9 |
54,1* |
36,3 |
41,9 |
45,9 |
I like to be in control when I´m having sex. |
41,8 |
45,5* |
35,6 |
37,2* |
45,3 |
41,6 |
41,9 |
I like to be with a woman who likes to get nasty. |
53,9 |
60,4* |
43,2 |
52,7* |
54,8 |
53,1 |
54,3 |
I need to have sex immediately when I am aroused. |
36,1 |
40,7* |
28,6 |
33,5 |
38,4 |
37,8 |
35,1 |
I like rough and hard sex. |
20,2 |
21,9 |
17,4 |
17,6* |
22,3 |
15,7 |
23,5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*The figures are chi-squared test significant at p<.05 |
|
|
|
To read more, please see further information and figures in the book ”Sex for sale”, Prostitution, pornography and the sex industry. Ronald Weitzer, Routledge, 2000.