By Catherine Redfern | 1 December 2005, 12:51

The BBC reports that “twice as many men” now pay for sex than did ten years ago.

“Surveys of 11,000 British adults in 1990 and 2000 found the rate increased from one in 20 to nearly one in 10 men.”

This is considered a possible contributing factor to the rise in sexually tramitted diseases.

Peter Baker of the Men’s Health Forum is quoted as saying: “Many people will be surprised by the relatively large numbers of men who are willing to pay for sex. But it’s not so surprising in the context of social trends - women are increasingly sexualised in the media, sex phone lines are routinely advertised in the back of magazines and phone boxes…and divorce and separations are on the rise.”

One of the authors of the report, Dr Helen Ward is quoted as saying: “There has been a more liberal attitude towards commercial sex and increasing commercialisation of sex. Lads magazines are bombarded with images.”