Twice as many British men paying for sex
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-12-12 15:52

The number of British men paying for sex doubled during the last decade and they were more likely to have had a sexually transmitted infection (STI), according to a study published on Thursday.

The increase may be due to the rise in divorce rates and in the number of men who have never married, it says.

It found that men who paid for sex were likely to have had more sexual partners, many of them overseas including in countries with higher rates of HIV and other STIs.

The study, by researchers at Imperial College London, based its findings on surveys of 11,000 British adults carried out in 1990 and 2000.

In 1990, 5.6 percent of men said they had paid for sex at some stage during their lifetime, with 2 percent saying they had done so in the previous five years and 0.5 percent in the last year.

Ten years later, the figures had doubled with 9 percent of men admitting they had had "commercial sex," with 4.2 percent paying for sex in the last five years and 1.3 percent saying they had done so in the last year.

The study, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, said that based on the 2000 results, men aged 25-34, living in London and who had never married or were divorced, were the most likely to have paid for sex.

More than a third of them had 10 or more sexual partners during the previous five years and over a half had had new sexual partners while abroad.

"The rate of divorce has increased, as has the proportion of men who are never or previously married, and this may explain some of the increased 'demand' for commercial sex," the researchers said.

"All reports suggest an increasingly large and diverse sex industry, with more opportunities for the sale and purchase of sex via clubs, escort agencies, the Internet, and sex tourism."

Britain has seen a significant rise in STIs, with chlamydia up 103 percent and gonorrhea cases up 97 percent between 1997 and 2002, along with a rise in new HIV infections.

Almost one in 10 men who paid for sex had had an STI but the study said it was not clear if this higher incidence was through commercial sex or because they had had more partners.

However, the report called for education and media campaigns to target such men as, despite their increased risk, fewer than one in five had visited a sexual health clinic and only one in seven had been tested for HIV.

It said more research was needed and particular attention should be given to single and divorced men and tourists.

"While men generally do not discuss commercial sexual contacts with each other, there are situations where this does occur including holidays and "stag (bachelor) party" trips where commercial sex may be a collective experience," it said.