A new study shows the market for male sex services has tripled in the last five years.

But it’s not because there are rising numbers of desperate, unattractive women forced to buy affection.

Researchers found quite the opposite - a high proportion of the British women paying for sex were busy career professionals in their 30s and 40s.

Some claimed to be ‘too busy’ for relationships (which makes sense given their age group - the time when ambitious women focus on work rather than their love lives); others admitted to paying for sex even though they were in relationships.

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Researchers have found that a high proportion of the British women paying for sex were busy career professionals in their 30s and 40s. So why do they?

The first thought that sprang to my mind was: ‘Why are women paying when they can get sex instantly and free via their smartphones?’

Further investigation points to the fact that there are quite a few plausible reasons why women would prefer to pay a professional.

Why pay?

'Why would a woman pay for sex when they can walk into any bar and get it for free?', is a classic male response to this topic.

Well, that’s highly contingent on how old you are, how good you look, which bar you walk into and, crucially, how fussy you are.

Most females are very fussy indeed. We don’t want sex with anybody, we want sex with someone we’d like to have sex with.

Apps like Tinder are popular with women as well as men because she can see what she’s getting but they have drawbacks.

For the one person who’s never heard of it, Tinder connects you to anyone nearby who’s interested in meeting up for friendship, love or sex (and guess which is most popular?).

You look at a picture, swipe right if you see someone who takes your fancy (and I do mean ‘see’ - let’s not pretend anyone chooses on anything other than what people look like) and you could be having sex with them in a matter of minutes or hours.

Most females are very fussy indeed. We don’t want sex with anybody, we want sex with someone we’d like to have sex with

Sex - but not necessarily good sex

Users complain that most people look nothing like the picture they’ve posted (or keep on walking past the meeting place after deciding you’re also guilty as charged), lots turn up drunk or are off-putting in personality, intelligence and (dare we say it) class.

Most important to this new, sexually demanding generation of women: there’s no guarantee of a decent standard of sexual technique or performance.

It's about quality technique

Male escorts are professionals.

A reputable escort is expected to turn up on time, be polite, look good, be able to perform and be technically proficient.

'You get what you pay for,' said one 37-year-old woman, who didn’t want to be named but has a twice monthly set appointment with the same male escort.

That's another thing people pay an escort for - to leave once the job is done. There's no awkwardness or pretending there's more to it than sex

'Women’s sexual systems are complicated. My guy’s highly skilled at what he does. I’ve tried Tinder and the sex was rubbish. The guys haven’t the foggiest of what women need to orgasm and get offended and huffy if you dare to guide them.'

The quality of sex on offer appears to be one of the main appeals of hiring an escort - and the more ‘me sex’ is it, the better.

I debated the pros and cons of women paying for sex with presenter Kaye Adams and a male escort called ‘Oz’ on BBC Radio Scotland on Monday.

Oz (call me suspicious but I strongly suspect this isn’t his real name) services men, women and couples in London (£150 for an ‘in’ call and £200 for a home visit, in case you’re wondering).

Pretty successfully, too, by the looks of his 126,000 twitter followers (compared by my measly 9,638).

Oz’s website, ozinlondon.co.uk, has a picture of him (face blurred but Christian Grey style body clearly in evidence) and a rather nicely written, tasteful summary of what he offers and what he isn’t prepared to do (turns out Pretty Woman was spot on - he won’t kiss either).

The experience can include a massage, ‘sexy tunes’, a drink and ‘sexy style naked Swedish massage’ if you fancy it.

Well spoken and articulate during the radio interview, Oz said most of his clients were bi-curious men but the amount of single women clients had increased over the six years he’s been an escort from one or two a year to one or two a month.

Tracey Cox says she hasn't ever paid a man for sex but can understand why someone else might

'Were these women who wouldn’t be able to pull otherwise?' I inquired delicately.

'Not at all!', he answered. 'They’re quite attractive women. Confident. Certainly not shy.'

It’s about control

The thing is, women don’t just want sex (the days of pretending it’s only men that do are long gone), they want sex they can control.

If you’re paying for something, you can unapologetically tailor the sex session to meet your needs.

The study found women who pay for sex take control of the session, often dictating, very specifically, what will happen during it in advance.

'The women who see me come with a clear idea of what they want,' agrees Oz.

'It’s all about them and so it should be. My motive when I see women is for them to have a good time. The last thing I want is for them to walk away disappointed. That wouldn’t be great for my reputation.'

Further evidence women’s appetite for no-strings sex is increasing: according to the Sunday Times Magazine, extramarital dating site Illicit Encounters has taken on extra staff to deal with the 4,900 female members who’ve signed up so far this year.

'They aren’t looking for a quick fumble,' says the website spokeswoman. 'They want fulfillment on several levels, with earth-shattering sex being just one part of it.'

It’s about 'testing' new things

Another reason women pay for sex is to try something they don’t want to do with their partners or fear their partners will judge them for.

They try it out with an escort to see if it’s worth rocking the boat over or just something ‘they needed to get out of their system’.

Couples hire escorts to fulfill threesome fantasies - which is actually far more sensible than trying to coax a friend into giving it a go.

What works in fantasy often doesn’t in reality and many couples who give threesomes a whirl don’t want to be reminded of the experience.

Paying someone means there's no-one around to remind you of what you did - they’re never to be seen again.

'That’s another thing people pay an escort for - to leave once the job is done,' Oz said.

'There’s no awkwardness or pretending there’s more to it than sex.'

I personally haven’t ever paid a man for sex and am unlikely to in the future being happily settled in a relationship.