{"id":1037,"date":"2020-03-20T17:46:42","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T17:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1037"},"modified":"2023-03-24T09:08:33","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T09:08:33","slug":"male-sex-workers-an-insight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/male-sex-workers-an-insight\/","title":{"rendered":"Male sex workers \u2013 An insight on men in sex work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many, when asked to describe a sex worker, a woman is usually the image that comes to mind.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Though it\u2019s true the sex worker space has largely been dominated by women for many years, the idea of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/gay-escorts\/gb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> male sex workers<\/a> has recently seen a shift in the mainstream, with many people acknowledging the existence of male sex workers.<\/p>\n<p>Research in recent years has also worked to dismantle public perception regarding male sex workers.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a BMC public health paper, \u2018<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A new public health context to understand male sex work<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 on male sex work, the idea of the male sex worker is not a new phenomenon and can actually be traced back to ancient Greece times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#male-sex-workers-in-the-uk\">Male sex workers in the UK<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#male-sex-workers-worldwide\">Male sex workers worldwide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#common-msw-assumptions\">Common MSW assumptions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#male-sex-work-findings\">Male sex work findings<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#potential-dangers\">Potential dangers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#charities-specialising-in-male-sex-work\">Charities specialising in male sex work<br \/>\n<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\nIn the UK, the number of men selling sex is becoming increasingly commonplace, with many providing sex services for a range of clients, which include female clients, male clients, and couples.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So just how prevalent are men <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/positive-aspects-of-working-as-an-escort\/\">working as escorts<\/a> in the industry? For better understanding, we\u2019ve taken a look into past research on male sex workers.<\/span><br \/>\n<a name=\"male-sex-workers-in-the-uk\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Male sex workers in the UK<\/h2>\n<p>What may surprise some people is that the UK has such a high number of male escorts operating, with the country ranking fifth in the world in terms of volume of male sex workers.<\/p>\n<p>It is suggested that around 80,000 of the 100,000 sex workers in the UK are women. This mean that there are<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-42265838\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">approximately 20,000<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> male sex workers operating throughout the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1043\" src=\"https:\/\/vivastreetuk.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/21-2.png\" alt=\"Approximately, 1 in 5 sex workers in the UK are male. \" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/21-2.png 1080w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/21-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/21-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/21-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/21-2-600x338.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"male-sex-workers-worldwide\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Male sex workers worldwide<\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to <span style=\"color: #363b40; font-family: Roboto, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">worldwide figures, it\u2019s claimed that there are roughly 42 million sex workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A closer look at the figures shows that around 20% of those who identify as a sex worker are men. This means approximately eight million male sex workers operate worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This growth in the number of men entering the male sex work sphere was looked at in a study, \u2018<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/research.qut.edu.au\/aboutmaleescorting\/2017\/11\/01\/number-of-online-male-escorts-by-nation-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Me, Us and Male Escorting<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 by professors Victor Minichiello and John Scott, who compiled an online survey looking at online profiles of male escorts worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the findings, the top five countries with the most male escort profiles (in total 93% of online male escort profiles) were:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1078 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/vivastreetuk.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Top-5-countries-for-male-escorts.png\" alt=\"The top five countries for male escorts around the world\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Top-5-countries-for-male-escorts.png 1080w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Top-5-countries-for-male-escorts-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Top-5-countries-for-male-escorts-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Top-5-countries-for-male-escorts-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Top-5-countries-for-male-escorts-600x338.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><br \/>\n<a name=\"common-msw-assumptions\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Common MSW assumptions<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>For many people still unsure about what being a male sex worker involves, there are a number of common myths and incorrect assumptions.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most common belief assumed is the sexual identity of male sex workers &#8211; namely that most male sex workers are gay and have a cliental that are predominately men. However, Minichiello\u2019s and Scott\u2019s male escort research proved that this is not the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Although their findings found that male escort profiles catering to male clients <b>was<\/b> the majority, they also found that clientele by gender varied, with some sites seeing male escort profiles only catering to female clients (while others offered services for couples of the opposite sex).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1042 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/vivastreetuk.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-1.png\" alt=\"The target audience for male escort profiles broken down\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-1.png 1080w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-1-600x338.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This perception may result from the idea that some male sex workers sleep with other men.<\/p>\n<p>Although there are male sex workers whose clientele are men, this does not mean they identify as gay. Their profession and sexual identity are regarded as two separate elements.<br \/>\n<a name=\"male-sex-work-findings\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Male sex work findings<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/escort\/gb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">female sex workers<\/a>, male sex workers in the industry are multifaceted. Some men work as sex workers full-time and treat it as their primary income.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others see clients several times a month, working part-time as a sex worker, while earning a wage in a full-time job elsewhere. Each case is different.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Research on male sex workers did find that they were likely to be more forthcoming when initiating contact online with clients, than female sex workers.<\/p>\n<p>Male sex workers are also more likely to work as a private escort.<\/p>\n<p>This is a contrast to female sex workers, where despite the fact that sex workers seen banding together as a group is illegal, reports have shown that many female sex workers prefer to work in managed groups, primarily<a href=\"https:\/\/eachother.org.uk\/working-together-makes-sex-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"> for safety and solidarity<\/a><br \/>\n<a name=\"potential-dangers\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Potential dangers<\/h2>\n<p>As with female sex workers, male sex workers also need to take precautions to avoid dangerous situations, whilst ensuring <a style=\"font-family: Roboto, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-be-safe-as-a-sex-worker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">their safety<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a number one priority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>From being duped into meeting with someone who isn\u2019t the person they initially thought, receiving verbal abuse on the job, to physical and sexual assault, male sex workers can too face harm, discrimination, and, indeed danger as women working in this industry.<\/p>\n<p>Worryingly, a sex work report, Beyond the Gaze, revealed that male sex workers are the group most unlikely to report a crime to the police, with 70% admitting to not reporting an incident to law enforcement.<br \/>\n<a name=\"charities-specialising-in-male-sex-work\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Charities specialising in male sex work<\/h2>\n<p>There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/resources-for-sex-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">charities<\/a> that are dedicated to supporting male sex workers.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.survivorsmanchester.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Survivors Manchester <\/a><\/strong>has an informative and beneficial website that encourages all male sex workers to get involved for essential support. By creating a warm, friendly, but ultimately safe space, the organisation aims to empower men to enable them to make positive life choices.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.survivorsmanchester.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">The Men\u2019s Room<\/a> <\/strong>is a charity which works to provide support and guidance to men working in the sex industry. Their mission, to help men through the many challenges they have to face in their lives.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/uglymugs.org\/um\/safety\/male-sex-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">National Ugly Mugs<\/a><\/strong>, otherwise known as NUM, strives to make sex workers, both male, and females, safer by providing free incident reports and warnings via an app about potentially dangerous individuals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many, when asked to describe a sex worker, a woman is usually the image that comes to mind. Though it\u2019s true the sex worker space has largely been dominated by women for many years, the idea of male sex workers has recently seen a shift in the mainstream, with many people acknowledging the existence [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"CBBTypography":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[217,221],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-1037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-sex-workers","category-sex-work-101"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1037"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivastreet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=1037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}