The Consumption of Sexual Services in a Modern Russian Society: Prevalence, Characteristics, Motives

Abstract

On the basis of empirical research the paper presents a sociological description of the phenomenon of the consumption of sex services in a modern Russian society. Lifetime experience of buying sex is widely distributed among Russian men, but regular customers are a one in ten. Each female sex worker has 6-10 regular clients, and generally sells more than a thousand sexual contacts per year. Specific social portrait of the prostitutes client does not exist. Sexually active men, as well as those who are limited in contacts with the opposite sex are more likely to buy sex. The main motives of purchase of sexual services are relaxation and economical as a way to reduce costs that inevitably accompany the development of relations with a woman. The author suggests the need to revise the system of social control of prostitution beginning with the construction of an effective control system of buying sex.