It is the sexual act itself that makes it special, which is why I'm against simply abstracting away all jobs to "using mental skills and body parts". A client of a hitman also pays them to use mental skills and body parts. How is being a hitman different than being a software engineer?
Sex is something women do not generally give out easily, especially to men they are interested in dating for the long term. Sex is also an intimate act that strengthens the bond between a couple. By selling sex, the woman devalues herself in the eyes of men. Why do women make guys wait for the Nth date before they have sex with them, if not for the sole purpose to make the guy think that the woman is of high value? You know, that she doesn't just sleep with anyone just like that.
Ask yourself this:
1. Would you marry or date a woman who does sex work?
2. Would you be OK with your daughter/sister doing sex work?
Then ask yourself the same questions after s/sex work/software engineering/g and tell me if you get the same answer.
Being a hitman is more likely to have actual moral consequences affecting other people, although e.g. a hitman killing a warlord might be more moral than a software developer working on Great Firewall.
All of the rest comes down to baseless mental hangups, although e.g. withholding random sex has basis in safety considerations. There's also reputational damage, but that cannot be used to to justify reputational damage, that would be circular. It sadly has to be managed, though, so even those without mental hangups and safety concerns might withhold sex.
The answers are "yes, probably" and "yes, if that's the best option in terms of income and safety". To the extent that it gives me pause, I can recognize those are just bugs in my thinking. It's often helpful to analyze your reactions and conclude they are broken, not trust your gut with no justification, e.g. instinctively get angry when someone cuts you off in traffic, or in this case are instinctively disgusted by sex work.
Sex is something women do not generally give out easily, especially to men they are interested in dating for the long term. Sex is also an intimate act that strengthens the bond between a couple. By selling sex, the woman devalues herself in the eyes of men. Why do women make guys wait for the Nth date before they have sex with them, if not for the sole purpose to make the guy think that the woman is of high value? You know, that she doesn't just sleep with anyone just like that.
Ask yourself this:
1. Would you marry or date a woman who does sex work?
2. Would you be OK with your daughter/sister doing sex work?
Then ask yourself the same questions after s/sex work/software engineering/g and tell me if you get the same answer.