Engineering Consulting and Prostitution

The current issue of the Economist has a fascinating cover story on the the oldest profession - The Sex Business: How technology is liberating the world's oldest profession.  When you read the article, certain themes keep coming up that point out how close the two professions are becoming (The old saying is that consulting and prostitution share two issues - (1.) what position the client wants you in, and (2.) how much money).  Is prostitution becoming more like consulting or is consulting becoming more like prostitution?  It looks like prostitution is thinking about many of the things all businesses and organizations are wrestling with.  To set the record straight - a fifth of the
commercial-sex workforce is male.

Interesting points form the article:

"Customers knew little about the nature and quality of the services on offer. Now specialist websites and apps are allowing information to flow between buyer and seller."

"Prostitutes' personal characteristics and the services they offer influence the prices they charge."

"Niche services attract a premium."

"The cost of an hour with an escort in Cleveland, Ohio, where unemployment peaked at 12.5% in 2010, has tumbled."

"Inexperience is another reason newcomers to prostitution may underprice themselves."

"Twenty years ago most prostitutes in Norway were locals who all aimed to charge about the same . . . growing numbers of sex workers from the Baltic states and central Europe, as well as Nigerians and Thais, such unofficial price controls are harder to sustain."

"Meanwhile, broader social change may reduce demand - and, thus, prices."

"Appearance matters a great deal."

"A prostitute's rates also vary according to ethnicity and nationality."

"Local markets have other quirks."

"Governments should seize the moment to rethink their policies."

"For prostitutes, the internet fulfills many of functions of a workplace."

"The freelancers, part-timers and temps the internet is bringing to the sex trade are likely to help absorb demand shocks."

"Online forums allow prostitutes to share tips about how to stay safe and avoid tangling with the law."

"It also means more time, effort and expertise put into marketing."

"But overall, sex workers will profit.  The internet has disrupted many industries.  The oldest one is no exception."