MUSTANG RANCH III: Many of Mustang’s prostitutes, like Donna, worked despite having children at home. In fact, over one-third of the women who worked at Mustang Ranch were mothers. However, the sacrifices were significant. Licensed prostitutes couldn’t go home at the end of the day to cook their children dinner or tuck them into bed. Often away for weeks at a time, they had to rely on others to look after their kids — lovers, family, or friends. Irene, the manager at No. 2, confided that she found this one of the saddest aspects of the job. She always warned new applicants just how limited their contact with their children would be. “Given that this isn’t a 9-to-5 job and they can’t just run home, I ask how they’ve planned for an emergency, who has the authority to take their children to the hospital if they get sick.”

Women tried to make it up to their kids with regular telephone calls, letters and material objects. With their newly earned cash, prostitutes frequently paid the brothel runners to go on shopping sprees in local toy stores before the women left for home on vacation. [clipped]