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Prior A, Peled E. Constructing Identity Through Sex-Consumption: The Consumerist Narratives of Israeli Men Who Pay Women for Sex. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2024; 61:1099-1107. [PMID: 37796768 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2023.2264273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
This study examined how consumerism shapes the identity construction processes of Israeli men who pay women for sex (MPWS). Using the theoretical framework of symbolic interaction and the theoretical concept of extended self, we explored how Israeli MPWS extend their selves through sex-consumption. To this end, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 Israeli MPWS. An interpretive epistemology and a constructivist grounded theory methodology guided the data-analysis. We conceptualized three dynamics of self-identity construction processes through sex-consumption: Extending the self through assimilation of products or experiences, Extending the self through the purchasing process, and Extending the self through consuming the imagined. The findings revealed a complex process, whereby MPWS attribute various and contradictory meanings to their possessions, their consumerist experiences, and their purchasing processes. We conclude that consumerism is central to the meanings that MPWS attribute to their engagement in the sex industry. Thus, the theoretical framework of consumerism should be further applied to future studies in this field in order to gain a nuanced and deeper understanding of MPWS and the phenomenon of sex consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayelet Prior
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University
| | - Einat Peled
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University
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Lahav-Raz Y, Prior A, Peled E. The Question of Moral Worth in a Controversial Market: Moral Justification Regimes and Boundary Work Among Israeli Men Who Pay for Sex Abroad. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2024; 61:1073-1084. [PMID: 36794294 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2023.2175346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the internal moral debate that takes place among Israeli men who pay for sex (MWPS) while traveling abroad. We explored how they construct their sense of moral worth and present themselves as moral subjects in light of the intensified stigmatization of their actions. Using the theoretical frameworks of pragmatic morality and boundary work, we conceptualize four main moral justification regimes that MWPS use to construct themselves as moral subjects: Cultural normalization; Conditional freedom of choice; The altruistic act of charity; and Unpacking the Stigma Discourse. The findings highlight how these justification regimes are anchored in three intersecting fields - cultural, spatial, and power relations - which produce various matrices of conflict, compromise, or collaboration in different situations. Thus, the flexible switching between various justification regimes reveals how MWPS define themselves and their activities and negotiate various moral dispositions - akin to various cultural logics - in the context of moral taint and stigma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeela Lahav-Raz
- The Sociology & Anthropology Department, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
| | - Ayelet Prior
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University
| | - Einat Peled
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University
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Powers RA, Burckley J, Centelles V. The Legality of Labor and Perceptions of Deservingness of Rights and Services for Sex Workers. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024:10.1007/s10508-024-02951-0. [PMID: 39138694 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02951-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Access to social services like healthcare, education, housing, and welfare are integral to creating an equitable society. While many populations inherently benefit from these services, sex workers are often denied these rights and services because of the nature of their work. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of deservingness of sex workers for a wide range of rights and services. This study distinguished those attitudes across legal and illegal forms of sex work, identified attitudinal and demographic correlates associated with those perceptions, and examined potential interactions between respondents' gender and age. Participants included a nationwide sample of adults from the USA (n = 549). Results indicated that participants perceived legal sex work as more deserving of rights and services compared to illegal sex work. Perceptions of deservingness were associated with attitudes toward abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and perceptions of government legitimacy. Overall, older individuals were less willing to extend rights and services to sex workers and women were more likely to perceive sex workers as deserving of rights and services. There was an interaction between gender and age. For illegal sex work, gender differences in perceptions converged as participants aged, whereas for legal sex work, gender differences were exacerbated with age, with men reporting particularly restrictive perceptions of deservingness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ráchael A Powers
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA.
| | | | - Vanessa Centelles
- Department of Sociology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Jenaro C, Flores Robaina N, Sánchez Gil LM, Torres Apolo VA, Arias VB. Construction and Validation of a Scale to Assess Social Judgments Toward Sex Work from the Stereotype Content Model. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38588604 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2024.2332932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Sex workers (SW) are subject to social judgment and the associated attitudes, ranging from admiration to contempt. The presence of stereotypical attitudes toward SW is common and can be analyzed using the Stereotype Content Model (SCM), where the concepts of warmth and competence play a central role. The interweaving of both dimensions allows the identification of four emotions and corresponding political positions toward SW: admiration (non-interventionism), pity (abolitionism), contempt (prohibitionism), and fear (regulationism). From the SCM framework, this study offers the construction, validation and performance of a 25-item scale with a snowball sample of 1,543 participants residing in Spanish-speaking countries. The four-factor hypothesized model yielded adequate values. Internal consistency was sufficient on all factors, as was model-based reliability and convergent validity. The scale also showed measurement invariance between gender and age groups, suggesting that the measure is interpreted in a conceptually similar manner by respondents representing different genders or ages. Further analysis revealed that male participants scored significantly higher on admiration. Baby boomers showed less pity and contempt while Millennials showed more fear and less admiration. SW and those who know or work with SW showed less fear and pity and more admiration. The SCM and the process of developing social judgments offer us a way to understand the differences that underlie irreconcilable policy positions. Overcoming these differences requires mutual understanding from scientific frameworks instead of from ideological perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Jenaro
- Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment, School of Psychology, Universidad de Salamanca
| | - Noelia Flores Robaina
- Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment, School of Psychology, Universidad de Salamanca
| | - Luis Miguel Sánchez Gil
- Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment, School of Law, Universidad de Salamanca
| | - Víctor Andrés Torres Apolo
- Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment, School of Psychology, Universidad de Salamanca
| | - Víctor B Arias
- Department of Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment, School of Psychology, Universidad de Salamanca
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Prior A, Eyal-Lubling R, Koren-Shimshoni D, Peled E, Shilo G. Forging help relationships with commercially sexually exploited youth: Perspectives of Israeli help providers. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023; 143:106253. [PMID: 37267761 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research points to the many challenges that help providers who support commercially sexually exploited youth encounter in their professional work-yet little is known about how they overcome these challenges, particularly with regard to youth of diverse social backgrounds. OBJECTIVE The present study applied the conceptual frameworks of help-seeking and intersectionality to explore the professional practices that help providers employ when forging a help relationship with commercially sexually exploited youth. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Israeli help providers who work with commercially sexually exploited youth at various social services. METHOD In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted, and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory approach. FINDINGS We identified six major guiding principles that support the participants' processes of forging a help relationship with commercially sexually exploited youth: Do not assume that the youth view their involvement in commercial sexual exploitation as problematic; Continuously attempt to gain the youth's trust; Start from the point where the youth are; Be available at all times, and maintain a steady long-term relationship; Treat commercially sexually exploited youth as agentic individuals and encourage them to lead the process of establishing a help relationship; Similarity in social backgrounds of help providers and commercially sexually exploited youth promotes youth's engagement in the help relationship. CONCLUSIONS Assuming the co-existence of benefit and harm in commercial sexual exploitation is essential to forging a help relationship with the youth. Applying the intersectional lens to practice in this field can help preserve the delicate balance between victimhood and agency, thereby enhancing help processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayelet Prior
- The Bob Shapell School of Social work, Tel Aviv University, P.O.B. 39040, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
| | - Roni Eyal-Lubling
- The Bob Shapell School of Social work, Tel Aviv University, P.O.B. 39040, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
| | - Danya Koren-Shimshoni
- The Bob Shapell School of Social work, Tel Aviv University, P.O.B. 39040, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Einat Peled
- The Bob Shapell School of Social work, Tel Aviv University, P.O.B. 39040, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
| | - Guy Shilo
- The Bob Shapell School of Social work, Tel Aviv University, P.O.B. 39040, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
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Prior A. Paying for Sex During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Israeli Men. SEXUALITY RESEARCH & SOCIAL POLICY : JOURNAL OF NSRC : SR & SP 2022; 19:50-62. [PMID: 33425060 PMCID: PMC7786315 DOI: 10.1007/s13178-020-00524-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This qualitative study explored the experiences of men who pay women for sex (MWPWS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, which poses radical and profound challenges to various aspects of people's intimate, sexual, and financial experiences. METHODS The study was based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 10 Israeli MWPWS who regularly visit various prostitution venues. The interviews were conducted between April and July 2020, between the first and the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. RESULTS The findings focus on four major aspects of the participants' experiences: the participants' inability to pay for sex, the difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic to participants' sex-for-pay experiences, the positive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their sex-for-pay experiences, and the insignificance of COVID-19 pandemic to their sex-for-pay experiences. CONCLUSIONS I conclude that COVID-19 pandemic triggers various sexual, emotional, and gendered experiences for MWPWS. Accordingly, MWPWS may reevaluate their engagement in sex-for-pay, and their experiences of it may be reshaped in light of the pandemic. I discuss the findings' contribution to sexuality and masculinity studies, and the methodological possibilities that they raise for qualitative scholars studying social phenomena during the COVID-19 pandemic. POLICY IMPLICATIONS The study highlights the significance of developing ad hoc prostitution policy that supports the individuals involved in the sex industry-both MWPWS and the women who are paid for sex-during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, it suggests that prostitution policy should address the diverse experiences of MWPWS, beyond viewing them as merely offenders who should be punished, or re-educated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayelet Prior
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Prior A, Peled E. Identity Construction of Men Who Pay Women for Sex: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2021; 58:724-742. [PMID: 33890841 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.1905763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This interpretive qualitative meta-synthesis (QMS) aims to systematically review what we know about identity construction of men who pay women for sex (MPWS). A corpus of 54 qualitative studies about the experiences and perceptions of MPWS was synthesized, using the theoretical framework of symbolic interaction and QMS guidelines. This synthesis yielded novel insights into the meanings that MPWS attribute to their involvement in the sex industry, within a range of interpersonal interactions and social discourses. We identified and expanded on six social discourses that affect the identity construction of MPWS: sexuality; intimacy; consumerism; power; deviancy and normativity; and masculinity. The findings demonstrate that paying for sex (and in particular, the stigma associated with it) permeates many life spheres of MPWS, and affects their gendered, sexual, cultural, intimate, consumerist and social identities, and self-perceptions. The discussion centers on four major understandings derived from the QMS: paying for sex is central to the lives of MPWS; paying for sex generates conflict in the identities of MPWS; discourses of masculinity are prominent in the identity construction processes of MPWS; and the literature on MPWS needs further social and cultural contextualization. These understandings have profound implications for sex-industry-related policy and social interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayelet Prior
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University
| | - Einat Peled
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University
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Shilo G, Gewirtz-Meydan A, Peled E. Men Who Pay for Sex Once, More than Once, or Not at All: The Associations between Attitudes toward Paying for Sex, Socio-Demographic Characteristics, and Frequency of Sex Payment. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2021; 58:754-762. [PMID: 33871290 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.1907527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In an attempt to characterize men who pay women for sex (MPWS), theory and research generally divides men into two groups: men who pay for sex and those who never paid for sex. However, this dichotomy may lack sufficient detail to understand sex payment accurately, and with regard to attitudes toward paying for sex and frequency of sex payment. The present study set out to explore the associations between views toward MPWS; socio-demographic characteristics and frequency of paying for sex. A sample of 632 Israeli men, ages 18-75, were recruited via Facebook ads. Participants completed an anonymous, online questionnaire on their attitudes toward MPWS. Men who paid for sex once were more similar in their attitudes to men who did not pay for sex than to those who paid more than once. In addition, favorable views on MPWS predicted paying for sex only among men who paid for sex more than once, but not among men who paid for sex once. These findings may require new programmatic attention in public policy considerations and therapeutic strategies, taking into consideration both attitudes of men who pay for sex toward, and frequency of, this behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Shilo
- Bob-Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University
| | | | - Einat Peled
- Bob-Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth J Zucker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada.
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