Time After Time

Abstract

Following the recent resurgence of interest in time and space in the social and organizational sciences, this paper examines the significance of time in prostitution. Prostitution provides a useful basis for analysis, given that it is at once similar (in its provision of consumer services) and different (in that sexuality is not fully commodified) to other industries. Time is significant to prostitution - for example, the industry is to some extent seasonal, human sexual activity being known to increase during spring and summer. Using data from studies of prostitution undertaken in various locations in the UK, the US and Australia, time is addressed from the perspective of the client and the prostitute - and we argue that time for prostitutes and clients is experienced and constructed very differently. Time is shown to be gendered in ways which mean that, paradoxically, the characteristics of time as experienced in the encounter may be the reverse of the participants' gender - female prostitutes experiencing masculine, striated time whilst clients experience or pursue a more feminine, relational time.