Men’s revealed preferences regarding women’s ages: evidence from prostitution

Across time and space, men, both young and old, usually report to be sexually interested in women in their late teens to late 20s. We investigated whether this self-reported preference was supported by behavior in a situation where true preferences are most likely to be revealed: prostitution. Using data from Indonesian prostitutes, we found that in general, the prostitute’s age and the price of sex were negatively related. Upon close scrutiny, the relationship exhibited a flat–decreasing–flat pattern. For prostitutes in the late teens to early 20s, the price of sex was similar; for prostitutes in the early 20s to early 30s, the price of sex rapidly decreased and then stabilized. The value of peak age was substantial: the price attached to sex with prostitutes of peak age was more than twice that for prostitutes in their late 30s. The revealed preferences regarding women’s ages are consistent with the self-reported preferences. Furthermore, this study added precision to existing literature.