The internet has revolutionised the sex industry, shaping the growth of sex work and reimagining supply and demand models. Not only this, the democratising factor of online channels has directed the way sex work is legislated around the world, and impacted its public perception.
With their internet at their fingertips, escorts take control of their own marketing, management, and online profile - giving them the freedom to control their labour. By trading online, escorts gain visibility without compromising their safety and have the ability to make a profit from the supply of their services.
Who are Sex Workers in Ireland?
In a pre-Internet age, you’d be hard-pressed to get accurate data about the sex worker industry, especially in Ireland, with the repression of the Catholic Church. The country’s moral panic pushed sex work to the shadows.
Now, with the accessible data online platforms afford, it’s possible to reveal more about the demographics of sex workers, taking escorts out of the dark and into the public consciousness, where their rights, safety, and working practices can be scrutinised.
We can reveal that SimpleEscort Ireland escorts are primarily between the ages of 25–34, 53.01%, while 18-24 year olds make up 43.63% of registered advertisers on the platform. This shows a growing popularity for sex work as a viable profession among young professionals.
Escorts on our platform are overwhelmingly female, 94.61%, while there is a significant trans presence, 3.57%, and 1.82% of escorts are male. Our vibrant community has over 8,000 registered sex workers, with 12,000 ads published monthly.
As you can see, we have a large number of ads published every month, while our rejection rate is very high, at 93%. This showcases the importance of quality, verified ads, to increase safety and trust for both our advertisers and users.
Our diverse community sees 18.28% Irish nationals, while the market shows a high presence of international escorts from Chinese escorts, 13.59%, and Malaysian escorts, 10.71%, to Brazilian, 9.80%.
Escorts offer a range of different services catering to different preferences. Erotic massages are out front, being offered by 41.04% of our advertisers, while handjob features in 38.10% of SimpleEscort Ireland profiles. There is also high demand for intimate experiences: girlfriend experiences, 34.45%, and French kissing, 34.03%. This indicates clients aren’t looking exclusively for physical experiences, and that connection is also an important element of their patronage.
Who are Ireland users?
For users of sex work, the internet plays a role in anonymising their identity. This is crucial in a country like Ireland that follows the Nordic Model, which decriminalises the selling of sex work but criminalises the purchase of sexual services.
This has important implications for the privacy of the users of escort platforms. It is important to offer every platform visitor safe and transparent experiences. When online platforms guarantee the right to control how data is collected, used, and stored, privacy can be guaranteed through cookie customisation.
We took a 90-day data sample of our Irish users over a 90-day period. It revealed some fascinating insights about users of sex work.
Our users are tech savvy, with a majority of 66.30% browsing our platform on mobile. Taking a look at our users’ interests, a diverse group with disposable income and refined interests. Over half of our users have a love for travel, 54.02%, although the most used nationality filter is Irish at 36.44%, demonstrating a love for their kin. Yet, there is interest in Indian, Brazilian, and Chinese nationals too.
From their search habits, we can see an overwhelming preference for trans escorts, being the most used gender filter at 31.49%.
The data demonstrates that our users are a wide range of the Irish public, with a diverse range of preferences and characteristics. Understanding this data helps online platforms like SimpleEscort cater to the demands of the market and position ads to address these, without compromising the autonomy of escorts on our platform.
Analyzing the Irish sex industry
The Irish sex industry is driven by a growing demand and increased preferences for specialisation, as shown by our data.
With 66%, over two-thirds of SimpleEscort users accessing our platform through mobile devices, we see a demand for responsive, on-the-go experiences. There is also a rising demand for strong filters that make user preference searches seamless.
With the digitalisation of the sex industry, both users and advertisers can receive an optimal experience. Through data-driven platforms, advertisers can build a loyal customer base, and clients can browse with ease knowing that advertisers have been fully verified and vetted, strengthening their security.