High-flying career women in Britain and the US are paying for sex with male escorts, with some splashing out £150 an hour, or thousands if they stay for the weekend, reveals an academic survey.

Far from just being used by gay men, more than half of male escorts in the UK provide sex for women and couples, the research adds.

The number of professional women seeking sex has soared threefold in five years, with the average hourly rate being £150, while some are prepared to pay thousands if the escort stays for the whole weekend, the study found.

The US has the third highest number of male escorts worldwide, with the UK coming in third, with both nations having several thousands men sex workers each, the research adds.

Mexico has the highest number with 14,531 male escorts, followed by Brazil in second place, the study reveals.

Mexico led the way in this emerging aspect of the sex industry: It had 14,531 male escorts prepared to cater to women and couples

WHICH COUNTRY OFFERS THE MOST MALE ESCORTS FOR WOMEN WORLDWIDE? Country Number 1 Mexico

2 Brazil

3 United States

4 United Kingdom

5 Spain

6 Germany

7 Japan

8 Belgium

9 the Netherlands

10 France

11 Australia

12 United Arab Emirates

13 Russia

14 India

15 Canada

16 Denmark

17 Austria

18 China

19 Finland

20 South Korea 14,531

6,892

3,481

2,926

2,357

359

327

307

290

182

125

124

97

48

40

9

7

1

0

0

It found only a quarter of Australia's 516 male escorts cater to these - compared to over 50 percent of their 5,487 counterparts in the UK, the fourth most in the world.

Some of the countries surveyed appear to have no male escorts. This may be the case for countries that use more traditional means of connecting escorts to clients, and the study only surveyed websites.

And it is a lucrative business with the average price worldwide £150 an hour - with some escorts trousering thousands of pounds if they are prepared to be hired for a weekend.

Who are the women paying for men, and what are they paying for?

Professor John Scott, of the Crime and Justice Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology, said: 'Uganda and Argentina are the only other countries that have more male escorts seeking females and couples than solely male clients.

'It is assumed that men are the primary market for male escorts, and while it is true that most escorts target male clients, our survey suggests a significant emerging market for women who pay for sexual services from men.'

The researchers said most of the women who buy sex are professionals in their 30s and 40s, who want a guaranteed pleasurable experience, and paying an escort ensures discretion.

Some claimed to be 'too busy' for relationships as it is the the time when ambitious women focus on work rather than their love lives.

WHERE WOMEN CAN PAY FOR SEX The survey revealed that Mexico was the top country for women wanting to hire men for sex, with 14,531 escorts available. Following Mexico was Brazil and the US, followed by the UK, all of which had several thousand male escorts offering their services to women, each. The numbers for Malaysia (46.5%), Hungary (45%), Germany (42%) and Chile (41%) all rivaled those of 'male for men' escorts. Of course, many websites may exist that exist within the 'dark web' and are therefore hard to report. Advertisement

Others admitted to paying for sex even though they were in relationships.

And they want more than intercourse, going for a drink or a meal before progressing to sex.

They can also be seeking an emotional connection. Prof Scott said: 'While more than 57 per cent of identified websites catered to male customers only, 11 per cent were specifically for female clients and a similar number of sites were for couples, most of the opposite sex.

'As expected, we found twice as many male escorts had male clients only (72,106) as against the 32,948 escorts for women or couples.'

His results are contained in the blog About Male Escorts and will be published as a book chapter in Male Sex Work and Society (Volume II) being published next year.

The survey found a total of 324,852 profiles online but after eliminating duplications, with many listed on multiple sites, there were 105,009 individuals.

Mexico's nine websites led the way in this emerging aspect of the sex industry. It had 14,531 male escorts prepared to cater to women and couples.

'The average price worldwide seems to be $200 (£150) an hour but it can be thousands of dollars for a weekend'

Brazil (6,892) came next followed by the US (3,481), the UK (2,926), Spain (2,357), Germany (359) and Japan (327).

Other countries with a high percentage of escorts for women and couples included Malaysia (46.5%), Hungary (45%), Germany (42%) and Chile (41%).

Professor Scott said even traditional, socially conservative societies hosted male escort websites advertising online as catering for women and couples.

He revealed: 'Malaysia has 88 escorts on its nine sites and 41 of them provide for women and couples, and the United Arab Emirates has 124 escorts for women or couples out of 337 male escorts.'

'In jurisdictions where sex work or same-sex relations are heavily penalised, it is possible escort sites are known only to participants within relatively closed social networks.

Meanwhile, countries with a lot of escorts may have cultures that promotes this. In the study, it says: 'In Mexico, sex work and same sex relations are legal, its in close proximity to the United States, and it has relatively low rates for hiring escorts, and the Latino sexual culture may provide an attraction.'

WHY DO WOMEN BOOK AN ESCORT? A male escort, John Oh, 45, from Australia, has a simple answer. 'Women pay for the services of escorts for the same reasons as men: they want intimacy, they want sex, they want to be "seen",' he said. 'That's the short answer. The long answer is that everyone has their own reasons, their own journey that brings them to me, or another male (or female) escort and it is very hard to generalise. 'Many women want the opportunity to be fully in control, to not have to worry about a partner's feelings or needs, to just indulge themselves. 'They also want someone who they know will be skilled in bed and who won't judge them, just accept them as they are and give them good sex with no complications. ' Advertisement

They may also be listed on the 'dark web' - these sites were not included in the survey.'

But if you are a woman or a couple seeking a male escort using online male escort services, you are out of luck in Costa Rica, Finland, Israel, Panama and Taiwan where the male escorts have male clients only.

Prof Scott said: 'There are slim pickings in Bulgaria, China, Estonia, Uruguay and Paraguay where each country has just one male escort who has found a niche in the market and offers this service.

A lucrative business

'The average price worldwide seems to be $200 (£150) an hour but it can be thousands of dollars for a weekend, especially among the international male escorts who list on websites around the world.

'It is important to note that websites such as Rentmen and Hourboy included escort profiles from around the world and were often hosted in countries where sex work was legal.

These websites were among the largest overall and mostly cater for male clients.'

Professor Scott said the survey counted only male sex workers operating online, not those in brothels or massage parlours or outdoor settings.

He added: 'The figures fluctuate over time with sex workers and websites entering and leaving the market. The fluidity makes the online marketplace appealing for many.'

To check for the validity and emerging trends over time, a similar survey will be conducted annually.