Watch out ladies of the night. The 21st century man might not just be after a quickie.
According to new research, men who become regular clients of sex workers often develop feelings of romance and love.
While it is commonly believed men who pay for sex are attempting to avoid emotional commitment, according to a study published in Men and Masculinities, men have started to seek out intimacy on demand.
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"In recent years, we have come to see a gradual normalization of independent escort prostitution, where sexual encounters have come to resemble quasi-dating relationships," said study author Christine Milrod, in a statement.
"Regular clients of a particular sex provider often come to experience feelings of deep affection, which can progress into an authentic love story."
In this study, Milrod and co-author Ronald Weitzer analyzed 2,442 postings on an online discussion board from a sex provider review site where more than a million clients of sex workers read and post about their experiences.
Approximately one-third included a discussion about emotional intimacy between sex workers and their clients, many of whom expressed a desire to grow their relationships beyond the physical level in the form of sharing private feelings and mutual love.
"These relationships follow a conventionally romantic script that normalizes the liaison and destigmatizes both provider and client," stated Milrod.
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"The study shows that this kind of normalization may manifest itself in a merger of finances, families and finally monogamous partnerships – the provider is no longer just a supplier of the girlfriend experience, but a real-life romantic partner."