The police may, and we'll get to that, but male sex workers are no less susceptible to the law than female. The first state prison sentence under the recent mandatory HIV testing law went to a man. True, women arrested as prostitutes outnumber men arrested as prostitutes, and I have my theories. Again, I would bet my next month's salary that women in prostitution outnumber men vastly. Women are more in demand and can make much more money than men can on the street, where most arrests take place.
Men can raise their price by becoming an indoor 'escort'.
A woman has more incentive to work outdoors. She has a steady supply of potential clients, even if she is not getting a lot of money per client. Compare the size of the strip on Polk to the areas of the Tenderloin, the Mission and Hayes Valley and you will see that there is no reason for any comparison between gender in prostitution arrests. That is not to say that sexism plays no role. In a society where a man can walk about without a shirt, a women who appears sexually knowledgeable is a beacon.