Premium Sex: Factors Influencing the Negotiated Price of Unprotected Sex by Female Sex Workers in Mexico

Abstract

This paper examines economic, sociocultural, and behavioral risk factors that influence the compensating price difference (premium paid) between sex with and without a condom for female sex workers (FSWs) in U.S.-Mexico border cities. Field data collected in Ciudad Juarez on the price of sex with and without a condom for the same FSW respondent allowed calculation of the price premium for unprotected sex based on these paired prices, holding unobservable characteristics constant. A Tobit model was used to identify the factors determining the price premium. Key predictors of a larger price premium for sex without a condom included: length of time as a FSW; number of male clients; and participation in HIV education. Key predictors of a decrease in the price premium for unprotected sex included: age; a bad financial situation; frequent alcohol consumption before or during sex; and frequent drug use before or during sex.