ABSTRACT
Paid sexuality still belongs to a shadowy realm. Western Christian–Judeo culture runs the gamut between negating sexual desire and accepting the spectrum of GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer). This chapter illuminates the potential benefits and the potential pitfalls of paying for sex. Social and cultural norms plus religious dictates put a high value on fidelity, which forbids sexual activities with anyone other than one’s partner. Extramarital affairs occur when one partner looks outside a committed relationship for sex and validation. Women pay for sex in much less quantity and frequency than men. Sex is exchanged for different reasons and in various currencies. Most people limit sexual transactions to within committed, emotional relationships, yet emotional bonds also include a price tag of time and energy, both physical and psychic. In sex work, as in regular sex, mutuality is often a necessary element to make the interaction satisfying.
