In general, I would say that you are probably correct, at least as far as an abstract payment would be concerned. However, what would you have called somebody who sold the use of their body for food (because they produced none of their own), a place to sleep safely (because they had nowhere else to go) or for any of the other necessities in ancient times? Simply because there was no "currency" exhanged, doesn't change the fact that men of that time, either before the idea of the institution of marriage or in a society that didn't value such, would have more than enough time during a 24-hour day to take advantage of a woman willing to sell/loan/rent her body in exchange for any of these necessities.
Historically there were no females on their own. You know that. They were daughters and sisters, who then became wives, then mothers, then grandmothers, then widows--who ended up living with their children.
Those women who CHOSE to do it on their own paid the price by not being able to rely on family
It wasn't until much, much later in human history that women lived on their own as we do now. So, there wasn't much use or need for prostitution.
But yes, women have sold their bodies for jewelry, whatever. MEN and boys have also sold their bodies. Prostitution crosses the genders. It is STILL a sad way to have to live. Sex is SUPPOSED to be something beautiful between married folks, not a job of getting men to climax for a price.
Besides, there are ALWAYS other jobs to do besides putting one's genitals out for sale. I KNOW that some women WILL NOT wash toilets; they WOULD rather sell themselves.
You can write it any way you like and sugar-coat it as a "survival" technique, which it isn't, but prostitution degrades EVERYONE; it degrades our humanity, marriage and sex.