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Prostitutes are generally young, uneducated and female. It is a low-skill
job that has few upfront costs. But prostitutes make more money--in
some cases much more--than working girls who, well, work for a living.
This holds true even in places where prostitution is legal and relatively
safe, so it can't just be that hookers are being paid more because they
run an increased risk of going to jail or the hospital.
So why do hookers make so much money?
In 2002, a pair of economists concluded that whores make so much more
than their working-class peers because they forego the economic benefits
of getting married. But how much more do they make? This slide show
illustrates the difference in seven different times and places through
history.
Source: "A Theory of Prostitution," Journal of Political
Economy, 2002.
Medieval France
In 15th-century France, prostitution was legal--and lucrative. An ordinary
agriculture worker earned two blancs (the currency at the time) for
a full day's work. A hooker could make that much in an hour.
Imperial Japan
In 1934, a geisha earned more than four times what a factory girl could
make. Prostitutes did even better, pulling in nearly seven times more
than a working stiff. Plus, geishas and prostitutes were provided with
room and board and weren't breaking any laws.
Nevada Brothel, Early 1970s
Prostitution was--and still is--legal in much of Nevada, provided it
is confined to brothels. In 1973, a prostitute made $350 per week, rent-free,
while a typical service worker made $3.36 per hour, or $135 per week.
West Germany, Early 1980s
In 1981, prostitutes in Munich made between 50,000 and 110,000 Deutsche
marks per year. The average annual wage in West Germany at the time
was 25,175 Deutsche marks, so working girls were making a very nice
living indeed. Prostitution remains legal in Germany.
Los Angeles, Early 1990s
Street prostitutes make less money than the higher-priced call girls,
but they still make more money than young women with similar qualifications
and skills who work in many service-sector jobs. A sample of 1,024 street
prostitutes conducted between 1990 and 1991 found that streetwalkers
made $23,845 per year, while female service workers made $17,192 per
year.
Quebec, 1993
Male prostitutes are much less common than female prostitutes, and they
typically earn much less as well. According to a study conducted in
Montreal comparing prostitutes with hospital orderlies, 75% of female
prostitutes--but just 35% of male prostitutes--earned more than C$50,000
per year. Still, it pays better than some medical work; no hospital
orderlies in the study earned more than C$50,000 annually.
Spain, 1995
Different types of prostitutes earn different incomes. In Barcelona
in the mid-1990s, a high-end call girl, who typically serviced just
one client per night, made the equivalent of $1,000. In a low-end brothel,
prostitutes made as little as $300 per day--and worked much harder.
Still, even the lowest-paid whore was making decent money, when compared
with many Spaniards. Average annual income in Spain in 1994 was just
$18,799.
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