Prostitution as Profession

Classic Darwinian theory posits that the female of most mammalian species trade sexual fidelity for various things the male can offer: protection, status, meat, and so on. So, if we accept the basic assumptions of sexual selection theory, aren’t pretty much ALL female mammals prostitutes?  [Source]

In my post about the various names for the clients of sex workers, I almost included a discussion of the variety terms used for prostitutes as well.   I decided to save that for a future post here on RPD.  As I’m sure you know, there are a great many terms used to describe sex workers: whore, hooker, streetwalker, provider, escort, courtesan, etc.  Many of them tend to be used as pejoratives, of course.  I am a bit partial to the word courtesan, but I also use the term professional companion to describe what I do.  I provide much more than just a quick fuck to my clients.  Still, at its core, it is professional sex.

Is paid sex work a “professional service”, though?  Or, restated, is prostitution a “profession?”

You will occasionally encounter philosophical arguments about whether sex work is even work, let alone something that could be considered professional.  Without exception, those who make such arguments have never done it (the same is true for porn work, btw).  In my mind, anything you do for pay is, by any reasonable definition, work in an employment sense, whether you enjoy it or not, whether you do it occasionally for free or not, or whether it involves the use of your mind or body or some combination thereof.  And anyone who’s ever sold sex will tell you that it is, without a doubt, work.  That’s the end of that discussion.

A Profession?

Is it a profession, though? If you accept the definition offered by Paulette Beat Songue, as simply “work someone does as the means to derive an existence,” then clearly anyone doing any kind of sex work for pay is a professional. ¹  Similarly, according to Random House Dictionary, the definition of a profession could be as simple as “any vocation or business.”   Both of those reflect a terribly liberal interpretation of the word by most standards and aren’t really much help for our purposes here.  We need something with a little more depth to it to provide a template against which to measure the relative professionalism of the prostitute’s trade.

According to one political science theory, a profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and uphold themselves to and are accepted by the public as possessing specialized knowledge and skills in a widely recognized body of learning derived from research, education, and training at a high level, and who are prepared to exercise this knowledge and these skills in the interest of or service to others.

It’d be hard to fit prostitution (or many other jobs) neatly into that kind of construct, for a variety of reasons.  Does the public “accept” prostitutes as possessing specialized knowledge and skills?  Those who know what prostitutes do, beyond what the mainstream media portrays (save for perhaps CNBC), understand that prostitutes are usually very skilled at their craft.  They have to be to make the most efficient use of their time.  Some aren’t, of course, but they usually don’t last long in the business.  At least, not at the middle and higher ends of the spectrum.

Level of Service

Typically one expects a professional service to be performed at a higher caliber than what you might expect from an amateur.  I’ve had clients tell me I’m the best fuck they’ve ever had or that I do an excellent job of melding the physical and personality skills they like in a prostitute.  If you read the review boards, many clients compliment providers on their sexual talents and/or interpersonal skills.  The fact of the matter is that, if you’re not good at what you do in this business, you’ll generally have trouble attracting clients, especially those who’ll request your services again (and those are the bread and butter of the ability to make a decent living at this).

Obviously, in the grand scheme of things, some professionals are better than others.  This is true with lawyers, doctors, police officers, accountants, electricians, etc.  So it would stand to reason that the same is true for professional sex workers as well.  Some are better than others – the hobbyists will tell you that in a heartbeat. ²  But since the quality of service in this business is almost purely subjective in nature, one client’s poor service experience may be another’s high quality one.

The services of some are worth more than the services of others because of differing skill levels.  Similarly, the more expansive the repertoire of services (physical or otherwise) you offer as a professional, the more you should expect to be compensated.  I’m actively working on another post about what you’re paying for when you see a professional, so you’ll see more on this later.

Suffice it to say, however, that most clients typically expect a prostitute to offer a wide range of sexual experiences and to do them well; they expect a professional level service because they are paying a (relatively) hefty fee for it.  Perhaps the fees charged might be indicative of the level of professionalism?

Choice

According to the incredibly mis-named organization Concerned Women For America (CWFA), “…prostitution is often referred to as the “world’s oldest profession.” This phrase implies that people, women especially, willingly choose to be prostitutes. People usually choose professions to further their ambitions or use their aptitudes and gifts. Prostitution is not a profession.”

The implication is, of course, that women never choose to be prostitutes and by virtue of that fact, it can’t be a profession.  Ignoring the incredible lapse of logic there, the myth that women don’t choose to be prostitutes has been contradicted over and over and over again by women who’ve written extensively about their choice to do exactly that.  Air Force Amy^W, Brooke Taylor, Amanda Brooks, Tracy Quan^W, Norma Jean Almodovar – all of them chose specifically to become prostitutes, for a variety of reasons.  Tracy knew at 10 she wanted to be a prostitute, and Amanda decided in her teens that she wanted to do the work.  Norma Jean had a nice job as a police officer before she quit to become a prostitute and has written and spoken extensively about why she made that choice.  History is replete with examples of women who not only made a conscious choice to engage in prostitution, but did so quite readily and made quite a successful living with it.

Ambitions

Do the women choose the work to further their ambitions?  What are the ambitions of most people who engage in a profession?  Any profession?

For most people, chief among their ambitions are to have a home, pay the bills, raise a family and care for their children, and to save some money.  Some workers might have additional ambitions of starting a new business or adventure, traveling, or perhaps building a brand new home of some type.  All of this is true for a great many prostitutes, including all of the women listed above.  Tracy Quan and Veronica Monet both used money they saved working as prostitutes to start their own empires.  For many, especially those who work the streets, I’d argue one of their driving ambitions is often hanging on to their homes or providing for their children.  Of course, those ambitions aren’t what the not-really-concerned about all women of America mean when they refer to “ambition,” are they?

Anti-prostitution activists will make the assertion that women turn to prostitution only because of financial need.  I have to laugh when I read that statement since the overwhelming majority of people do the work they do simply to make money and wouldn’t be doing it if they didn’t have to to earn a living.  They also make claims about the number of women who’d leave the profession if they could.  Aspasia has a rather cogent post on her blog about a study showing that more than half the members of one profession would leave it if they could.  You know what it was?  The medical profession.  Does that mean that they aren’t professionals since the majority of them wish to leave?  No one would make such a ridiculous claim about them, of course.  But it’s okay to make that stretch for sex work, curiously.

Aspirations

Some would argue that, in order for it to be considered a profession, it would need to be the type of work that one would aspire to do for a significant majority of his/her lifetime.  I am inclined to disagree with this since many people move in and out of different jobs and professions throughout the course of their lives.

Back in the day, people, men especially, would have one job most of their lives. Nowadays, of course, people jump from job to job almost as often as they change automobiles.  Writers become educators, educators become police officers, police officers become lawyers, stockbrokers and hedge fund managers become janitors, and so forth.  Some prostitutes go on to become writers, some go on to become educators, some go on to become attorneys. I know of one woman who worked as a prostitute and is now an executive vice president of a Fortune 100 corporation.  The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that the average worker these days will hold about eleven different jobs from age 18 through 42 alone.  The concept of holding one job throughout most of your adult life as a rule died some years ago, and therefore employment longevity cannot be used as a measuring stick for professionalism.

The number of women who pay their way through college through prostitution (and stripping) would astound the average person, I can assure you.  It is far more prevalent than even many sociologists realize.  Most make it through college quietly and go onto other things, just as the vast majority of people who hold other types of jobs during college will do.

Do people aspire to become prostitutes?   Tracy Quan would answer in the affirmative.  So, even using CWFA’s twisted application of logic, it is plain to see that prostitution can even fit into their mold of what constitutes a profession.

Education and Training

What about receiving training at a high level?  That’s a tough one.  Some people, myself included, do have some specialized education or training in human sexuality (or even psychology, which can be just as useful in this business).  In fact, it is not uncommon at all for prostitutes to have advanced degrees, especially at the high end.   Most don’t have any specific training , of course.  Well, unless you count on-the-job training, or training gained through experience.  Sex is one job where you can arrange your own training, by and large.  At least, from a physical standpoint.  The rest of it often takes some tutelage.

The truth is, however, that there is currently no formalized training for prostitutes.  Or for anyone else who wishes to better themselves in the bedroom, for that matter.  There are a handful of small, unique (and typically itinerant) places where people can avail themselves of specialized sexual training, but those are relatively few and far between.

There are some books that offer advice to prostitutes on how to work in this business, including two good ones by Amanda Brooks (soon to be four, I believe), and books on business management tailored specifically to escorts by J. D. Roberts, and Kay Good.  There are also a handful of sites on the Internet and the occasional DVD that provide some guidance to people seeking to better themselves and improve their sexual skill sets as well.  But they’d have to go other places to get training in marketing skills, personal safety, etc.

Aspasia and I have kind of batted around the idea about creating a school or university for whores (or, as she puts it, a Whoreiversity).  We’d teach subjects such as dealing with legal issues, financial management, client relations, marketing, safe sex practices, personal and client safety, and of course a wide variety of sexual techniques among other things.  All of these are matters that professional prostitutes have to deal with in one form or another if they wish to be successful.

It would be interesting to build a curriculum and a series of classes for this line of work.   In fact, in my post about decriminalization, I made the point that prostitutes should be required to maintain their education with respect to the work – sort of a continuing education kind of thing, not unlike many other, well, professions.   At any rate, as it stands right now, there are no legitimate schools or educational paths for hookers.  Yet.

So, Is It or Not?

If truth be known, most prostitutes could care less whether anyone else considers it a profession or not.  They do it to make the money they need to live on, and will move on to some other line of work if and when a decent opportunity presents itself, just like everyone else.   And, just as an athlete will use his/her body, physical talents and skills to earn their living, so, too, will the prostitute.  The fact that their work involves a vagina (or a penis, in the case of male sex workers) doesn’t negate its professionalism in any way.

For some women, however, prostitution is indeed a profession.  There are a considerable number of women who make an incredible living as professional companions; it is their sole means of income.  Some of them make well into six figures a year.  The majority don’t, of course.  They’ll work until they get arrested, find something else to do, or just get tired of the work.  You don’t hear much about them unless they do get arrested, or one of their clients gets arrested.  Sadly, that’s a side effect of the legal status of the work.

I choose to approach the work in a professional manner.  How do I quantify that?

1. My web sites are professionally done and present me in a professional light
2. The way I approach and deal with my clients is very professional
3. I responsibly manage the money I make from the work I do
4. I represent the profession well (in my opinion)
5. I strive to better myself at what I do, through education and experiential learning
6. I maintain a strong sense of personal and professional ethics as it relates to the work
7. I strive to deliver a high quality of service to my clients (I even offer a 100% satisfaction money-back guarantee, something that is very rare in the industry)

I think that approach embodies the entire concept of professionalism.  And, while I only intend to be doing this for another 18 months or so, I want to be the best that I can be; I want to leave a positive footprint on the world of prostitution and on my clients.

So, basically, it boils down to individual attitude.  Some prostitutes choose to approach the job as a profession, others not so much.  I think that is the ultimate arbiter of whether it is or is not a profession.

1. Prostitution: A petit-metier during economic crisis:  A Road to Womens’ Liberation.  The Case of Cameroon. 1996 [↩]
2. Hobbyists are those clients who see professional sex workers as a hobby [↩]

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Tagged as: Amanda Brooks, courtesan, hooker, prostitution, Tracy Quan, whore