The writer my have a way with words but the point is nowhere to be made. What he is saying is all from a man’s perspective. Never wondering what a woman may have to say about prostitution? For him it may all be about sex and then paying off. In a marriage with expensive gifts (as you say) and in prostitution with hard cash. The only point I can make out of it is not his concern with a woman’s feelings about it rather the variety available to a man.
Taboo” by Fouzia Saeed is a book that talks about women in the sex trade and hows and whys of their lives. I have read it and I would recommend it as an enlightening read in to this particular subject.
Lair of a Wordsmith © 
I will read it by tomorrow and then give my gibberish views on that.
I’ll await your response.