A prostitute is a person who engages in sexual intercourse or other sex acts for money. The term "prostitute" is increasingly rejected as offensive, and many sex workers prefer to use terms like "sex worker" or "escort" instead. Prostitutes may be female, male, or transgender, and prostitution may entail heterosexual or homosexual activity. Historically, most prostitutes have been women and most clients have been men. The practice of prostitution is culturally determined and perceptions of it differ between societies. In some societies, prostitutes have been viewed as members of a recognized profession, while in others they have been shunned, reviled, and punished with stoning, imprisonment, and death.