ABSTRACT
The social scientific literature on sex work is vast (recent authoritative monographs on the subject are O’Connell Davidson, 1998, and Lim, 1998) and representative of many different views and concerns. A substantial part of the literature on sex work consists of studies of sex work and its relationship with violence, health and drugs problems, and international migration, and is often devoted to investigating the desirability of alternative regulatory regimes and the definition of rights for sex workers (McKeganey and Barnard, 1996; O’Kane, 2002; Thorbek and Pattanaik, 2002; Doezema, 1998; Tiggey et al., 2000). Whilst studies of sex workers are widespread, those that address the demand side of the industry are harder to come by, and wanting to rigorously analyse demand characteristics on the basis of empirical evidence can prove very difficult:
Presumably, the client has not been studied until very recently because his actions are not perceived as morally reprehensible. A man who buys sex is viewed simply as a ‘man’ doing ‘what men do’ and therefore there is nothing unique or interesting enough about his behaviour to justify research …. For this reason, paid sex is considered legitimate, even ‘natural’, but part of a private realm that is best left un-discussed.
