Abstract

Sex work, or the exchange of sexual services for money or goods, is ubiquitous across eras and cultures. However, the practice of selling sex is often hidden due to stigma and the varying legal status of sex work. Online platforms that sex workers use to advertise services have become an increasingly important means of studying a market that is largely hidden. Although prior literature has primarily shed light on sex work from a public health or policy perspective (focusing largely on female sex workers), there are few studies that empirically research patterns of service provision in online sex work. This study investigated the determinants of pricing and popularity in the market for commercial sexual services online by using data from the largest UK network of online sexual services, a platform that is the industry-standard for sex workers. While the size of these influences varies across genders, nationality, age and the services provided are shown to be primary drivers of rates and popularity in sex work.

摘要

性工作，或用性服务换取金钱或商品，在各个时代和文化中无处不在。然而，由于耻辱和性工作的不同法律地位，卖淫的做法往往被隐藏起来。性工作者用来宣传服务的在线平台已成为研究一个在很大程度上隐藏的市场的越来越重要的手段。尽管先前的文献主要从公共卫生或政策角度（主要关注女性性工作者）阐明性工作，但很少有研究实证研究在线性工作中的服务提供模式。本研究通过使用来自英国最大的在线性服务网络的数据调查了在线商业性服务市场定价和受欢迎程度的决定因素，该网络是性工作者的行业标准平台。