Dutch prostitutes want to enjoy the same retirement perks as professional footballers because they also do "difficult physical work" in the prime of their lives, their lawyer said Tuesday.

"Footballers and prostitutes both do a difficult physical job that they cannot do their whole life," said Wil Post, a lawyer for Freya, a company that wants to take over a prostitution business in central Dutch city of Utrecht.

"Men prefer young women: there always comes an age when prostitutes no longer get any work," she told AFP.

Post has asked Dutch tax authorities for Freya's employees to enjoy the same pension perk as footballers, meaning they can put up to 5,000 euros (almost $7,000) a month in a tax-free pension pot.

"It can take a prostitute more than 10 years to stop working because she's trapped as she can't save money," Post said.

A spokeswoman for the Dutch tax authorities declined to confirm whether they had received the request, citing confidentiality.

Freya, which is run by a prostitute, has applied to run a string of sex worker rooms in Utrecht that had their licence withdrawn because of allegations of human trafficking earlier this year.

Prostitution and pimping have been legal in the Netherlands since 2000, provided there is no coercion.

Prostitutes working for businesses like Freya are salaried, have a contract, qualify for unemployment benefits and a state pension, which is generally low.