A comparison of HIV‐related risk behaviour and risk reduction between female street working prostitutes and male rent boys in Glasgow

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper we provide an early report of two continuing ethnographic studies of prostitution. We compare female streetworking prostitutes and male rent boys in Glasgow in terms of risks of HIV infection and practice of safer sex. It is shown that a considerable proportion of streetworking female prostitutes in Glasgow were injecting drug users but that drug use was much less common among rent boys. Although condom use appeared to be widespread amongst the women it was less common among the rent boys. We then examine the nature of the relationship established with clients. It is shown that the rent boys were much less directive in relation to clients ‐ much less likely to insist on safer sexual practices than were the female prostitutes. It is suggested that this lack of directiveness is associated with retrospective payment ‐ payment after the commercial sex act takes place. In a final section we look at the policy implications of our work.