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Brennan RP, Fitzgerald L, Dean JA, Selvey L. 'Change creates change' - older female sex workers' experiences through the early COVID-19 pandemic. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2024; 26:466-482. [PMID: 37355340 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2023.2224869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 and associated policy responses created unique social, economic and health risks for sex workers. Through semi-structured interviews we explored pre- and early COVID-19 experiences and work practices of ten cisgender female sex workers 50 years of age and older in Queensland, Australia, analysing the findings using a risk environment framework. Throughout early 2020, participants navigated a complex risk environment, managing economic needs, health and safety, occupational stigma and policing. Australia's policy responses altered the risks and opportunities available to participants. Half the participants continued sex work and half stopped sex work with some accessing economic support and withdrawing superannuation savings. Those who continued sex work drew on life and work experience to reassess changing health, stigma, and policing risks, and adapted their work strategies by increasing client screening and modifying services. Participants relied on information from peer networks and organisations to guide work practices but remained wary of contact tracing, police and the media. Decriminalisation of sex work and the strengthening of sex worker organisation and government partnerships are important in embedding equity in responses to ongoing and new public health threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael P Brennan
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Lisa Fitzgerald
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Judith A Dean
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Linda Selvey
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia
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Murney MA, Lazarus L, Herpai N, Pavlova D, Tarasova T, Balakireva O, Becker ML, Lorway R. Sex work stigma and the recuperation of moral personhood through gendered labour: sex worker diaries in Ukraine. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2022:1-15. [PMID: 36052988 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2022.2113433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Based on a diary writing exercise, this paper illuminates the complex ways in which sex workers in Ukraine actively work through and manage stigma in their daily lives. Pushing beyond the notion of stigma as a static and fixed psychosocial designation that can be readily measured, we argue that stigma is actively confronted by sex workers through various forms of gendered emotional and physical labour that enable them to recuperate a sense of moral personhood. This notion of moral personhood is often tied to wider gender-specific values pertaining to caregiving and motherhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen A Murney
- Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa Lazarus
- Institute for Global Public Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Nicole Herpai
- Institute for Global Public Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Daria Pavlova
- Ukrainian Institute for Social Research after Oleksandr Yaremenko, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Tatiana Tarasova
- Ukrainian Institute for Social Research after Oleksandr Yaremenko, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Olga Balakireva
- Ukrainian Institute for Social Research after Oleksandr Yaremenko, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Institute for Economics and Forecasting, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Marissa L Becker
- Institute for Global Public Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Robert Lorway
- Institute for Global Public Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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“We Knew No One Else Had Our Back except Us”: Recommendations for Creating an Accountability Care Framework with Sex Workers in Eastern Canada. SOCIAL SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci11080366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The authors report findings from a 15-month project that focused on the experiences of sex workers who live and work in an Eastern Canadian province. As part of a larger multi-phased study, 15 adults who identified as women, transgender, or non-binary, and received money or goods for sexual services, participated in photo-elicitation interviews. Drawing on a critical framing analysis, findings indicated supports—as identified and experienced by sex workers—encompassed three categories of care: self, community, and collective. These categories are described, with a particular focus on the latter two. Continuing with the care-based framework, recommendations to structure interventions draw on the role of accountability care in identifying how best to operationalize policies that promote health, well-being, and dignity of Canadian sex workers. The paper begins with a brief overview of the Canadian context and the role of supports. It follows with a discussion on the materials and methods and the results. It concludes with recommendations, limitations, and future considerations.
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McCausland K, Lobo R, Lazarou M, Hallett J, Bates J, Donovan B, Selvey LA. 'It is stigma that makes my work dangerous': experiences and consequences of disclosure, stigma and discrimination among sex workers in Western Australia. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2022; 24:180-195. [PMID: 33034268 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2020.1825813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Western Australia criminalises sex work whilst some other Australian jurisdictions have decriminalised the industry. This article examines the role of Western Australia's legislation in reinforcing stigma and discrimination of sex workers. It draws on stigma and discrimination-specific results from open-ended survey responses and interview data collected as part of a larger cross-sectional mixed-methods study. Experiences and/or anticipation of stigma and discrimination resulted in some sex workers concealing their involvement in sex work from family, friends and their home communities. This was a major barrier to accessing health care and protective services and impacted negatively on their mental health and wellbeing. There is a need for policy change and support to shift society's perception of sex work to that of a legitimate occupation to decrease sex workers' experiences of stigma and discrimination and improve their access to and utilisation of health care and protective services. These findings highlight the need for the decriminalisation of the Western Australian sex industry and the development of training programmes for police and healthcare workers to reduce the stigma and discrimination experienced by sex workers in these settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kahlia McCausland
- Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Roanna Lobo
- Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Mattea Lazarou
- Division of Planetary Health and Health Protection, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jonathan Hallett
- Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Julie Bates
- Urban Realists Planning & Health Consultants, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Basil Donovan
- The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Linda A Selvey
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Benoit C, Maurice R, Abel G, Smith M, Jansson M, Healey P, Magnuson D. 'I dodged the stigma bullet': Canadian sex workers' situated responses to occupational stigma. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2020; 22:81-95. [PMID: 30794087 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2019.1576226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Stigma attached to sex workers' occupation, sometimes disparagingly referred to as 'prostitution' or 'whore' stigma, is a fundamental challenge for people in sex work. Yet sex workers are not powerless when confronting occupational stigma. We employed thematic analysis with data from in-person interviews conducted in 2012-13 with a diverse sample of 218 adult sex workers in Canada. Our participants perceived a high degree of occupational stigma, which they responded to and managed using four main strategies. First, some participants internalised negative discourses about their sex work and accepted their discredited status. Second, many controlled access to information about themselves, consciously keeping knowledge of their occupation from most people while sharing it with trusted others. Third, some participants rejected society's negative view of their occupation. Finally, some attempted to reduce the personal impact of stigma by reframing sex work to emphasise its positive and empowering elements. Participants often strategically responded to stigma contingent on the situated contexts of their work and personal life. We discuss these findings in relation to the existing knowledge base about stigma attached to sex workers' occupation as well as how these findings may direct future research on stigma strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Benoit
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research & Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Renay Maurice
- Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Gillian Abel
- Department of Population Health, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Michaela Smith
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research & Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Mikael Jansson
- Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research & Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Priscilla Healey
- School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Douglas Magnuson
- School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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Bailey AE, Figueroa JP. Agency, lapse in condom use and relationship intimacy among female sex workers in Jamaica. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2018; 20:531-544. [PMID: 28862527 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2017.1360944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This paper explores barriers to consistent condom use among female sex workers in Jamaica in a qualitative study using grounded theory. Multiple perspectives were sought through 44 in-depth interviews conducted with female sex workers, clients, the partners of sex workers and facilitators of sex work. Poverty and lack of education or skills, severely limited support systems as well as childhood abuse served to push the majority of participants into sex work and created vulnerability to HIV and other STIs. Despite these constraints, women found ways to exercise agency, ensure condom use, adopt protective measures and gain economic advantage in various aspects of the Jamaican sex trade. Perceived relationship intimacy between sex workers and their clients and/or their main partners emerged as the main factor contributing to reduced risk perception and inconsistent condom use. Relationship intimacy, with associated trust and affirmation of self, is the most important factor influencing sexual decision-making with respect to lapse in condom use among female sex workers in Jamaica. Study findings provide important insights that can enhance individual psychosocial, interpersonal and community-based interventions as well as inform environmental, structural and policy interventions to reduce risk and vulnerability among female sex workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Althea E Bailey
- a Department of Community Health and Psychiatry , University of the West Indies , Mona , Jamaica
| | - John Peter Figueroa
- a Department of Community Health and Psychiatry , University of the West Indies , Mona , Jamaica
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Benoit C, Jansson SM, Smith M, Flagg J. Prostitution Stigma and Its Effect on the Working Conditions, Personal Lives, and Health of Sex Workers. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2018; 55:457-471. [PMID: 29148837 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2017.1393652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Researchers have shown that stigma is a fundamental determinant of behavior, well-being, and health for many marginalized groups, but sex workers are notably absent from their analyses. This article aims to fill the empirical research gap on sex workers by reviewing the mounting evidence of stigmatization attached to sex workers' occupation, often referred to as "prostitution" or "whore" stigma. We give special attention to its negative effect on the working conditions, personal lives, and health of sex workers. The article first draws attention to the problem of terminology related to the subject area and makes the case for consideration of prostitution stigmatization as a fundamental cause of social inequality. We then examined the sources of prostitution stigma at macro, meso, and micro levels. The third section focuses on tactics sex workers employ to manage, reframe, or resist occupational stigma. We conclude with a call for more comparative studies of stigma related to sex work to contribute to the general stigma literature, as well as social policy and law reform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Benoit
- a Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia , University of Victoria
| | - S Mikael Jansson
- a Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia , University of Victoria
| | - Michaela Smith
- a Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia , University of Victoria
| | - Jackson Flagg
- a Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia , University of Victoria
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Benoit C, Smith M, Jansson M, Magnus S, Flagg J, Maurice R. Sex work and three dimensions of self-esteem: self-worth, authenticity and self-efficacy. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2018; 20:69-83. [PMID: 28548011 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2017.1328075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Sex work is assumed to have a negative effect on self-esteem, nearly exclusively expressed as low self-worth, due to its social unacceptability and despite the diversity of persons, positions and roles within the sex industry. In this study, we asked a heterogeneous sample of 218 Canadian sex workers delivering services in various venues about how their work affected their sense of self. Using thematic analysis based on a three-dimensional conception of self-esteem - self-worth (viewing oneself in a favourable light), authenticity (being one's true self) and self-efficacy (competency) - we shed light on the relationship between involvement in sex work and self-esteem. Findings demonstrate that the relationship between sex work and self-esteem is complex: the majority of participants discussed multiple dimensions of self-esteem and often spoke of how sex work had both positive and negative effects on their sense of self. Social background factors, work location and life events and experiences also had an effect on self-esteem. Future research should take a more complex approach to understanding these issues by considering elements beyond self-worth, such as authenticity and self-efficacy, and examining how sex workers' backgrounds and individual motivations intersect with these three dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Benoit
- a Centre for Addictions Research , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
- b Department of Sociology , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
| | - Michaela Smith
- a Centre for Addictions Research , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
| | - Mikael Jansson
- a Centre for Addictions Research , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
- b Department of Sociology , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
| | - Samantha Magnus
- a Centre for Addictions Research , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
| | - Jackson Flagg
- a Centre for Addictions Research , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
| | - Renay Maurice
- a Centre for Addictions Research , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
- b Department of Sociology , University of Victoria , Victoria , Canada
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Zarhin D, Fox N. 'Whore stigma' as a transformative experience: altered cognitive expectations among Jewish-Israeli street-based sex workers. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2017; 19:1078-1091. [PMID: 28276917 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2017.1292367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
While the scholarship on sex work is substantial, it neglects to explore whether sex work and associated stigma affect sex workers' cognitive expectations. Drawing on observations of street-based sex work as well as in-depth interviews with Jewish-Israeli sex workers, this study suggests that because stigma is a moral experience that threatens and often destroys what really matters to stigmatised individuals, it leads to recurrent disappointments, which, in turn, may alter sex workers' cognitive expectations. Sex workers learn to see certain life goals, including maintaining healthy social relationships and a workspace free of violence and humiliation, as unobtainable. However, they also begin to see other aspects of their lives, such as economic autonomy, as achievable through sex work. Tracing how whore stigma becomes a transformative experience allows us to add another layer to the heretofore suggested link between the structural, cultural and individual aspects of stigmatisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Zarhin
- a Edmond J Safra Center for Ethics, Faculty of Law , Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel
- b Department of Sociology , Brandeis University , Waltham , USA
| | - Nicole Fox
- c Department of Sociology , University of New Hampshire , Durham , NH , USA
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“Well, It Should Be Changed for One, Because It’s Our Bodies”: Sex Workers’ Views on Canada’s Punitive Approach towards Sex Work. SOCIAL SCIENCES 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci6020052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
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Hargreaves JR, Busza J, Mushati P, Fearon E, Cowan FM. Overlapping HIV and sex-work stigma among female sex workers recruited to 14 respondent-driven sampling surveys across Zimbabwe, 2013. AIDS Care 2016; 29:675-685. [PMID: 27998178 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1268673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
HIV stigma can inhibit uptake of HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy as well as negatively affect mental health. Efforts to reduce discrimination against people living with HIV (LWH) have contributed to greater acceptance of the infection. Female sex workers (FSW) LWH may experience overlapping stigma due to both their work and HIV status, although this is poorly understood. We examined HIV and sex-work stigma experienced by FSW LWH in Zimbabwe. Using the SAPPH-IRe cluster-randomised trial baseline survey, we analysed the data from 1039 FSW self-reporting HIV. The women were recruited in 14 sites using respondent-driven sampling. We asked five questions to assess internalised and experienced stigma related to working as a sex worker, and the same questions were asked in reference to HIV. Among all FSW, 91% reported some form of sex-work stigma. This was not associated with sociodemographic or sex-work characteristics. Rates of sex-work stigma were higher than those of HIV-related stigma. For example, 38% reported being "talked badly about" for LWH compared with 77% for their involvement in sex work. Those who reported any sex-work stigma also reported experiencing more HIV stigma compared to those who did not report sex-work stigma, suggesting a layering effect. FSW in Zimbabwe experience stigma for their role as "immoral" women and this appears more prevalent than HIV stigma. As HIV stigma attenuates, other forms of social stigma associated with the disease may persist and continue to pose barriers to effective care.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Hargreaves
- a Department of Social and Environmental Health Research , London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , London , UK
| | - J Busza
- b Department of Population Health , London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , London , UK
| | - P Mushati
- c Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe , Harare , Zimbabwe
| | - E Fearon
- a Department of Social and Environmental Health Research , London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , London , UK
| | - F M Cowan
- c Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe , Harare , Zimbabwe.,d Department of Infection and Population Health , University College London , London , UK
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Allman D, Ditmore MH. Introduction to the Culture, Health & Sexuality Virtual Special Issue on sex, sexuality and sex work. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2016; 18:i-viii. [PMID: 27188754 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2016.1180855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This article provides an editorial introduction to a virtual special issue on sex work and prostitution. It offers a brief history of sex work studies as published in the journal Culture, Health & Sexuality; reflects on the breadth and scope of papers the journal has published; considers the contribution of the journal's papers to the wellbeing and sexuality of people who sell sex; and envisions future areas of inquiry for sex work studies. As authors, we identify major themes within the journal's archive, including activism, agency, context, discourse, hazard, health, legalisation, love, place, power, race, relationships, stigma and vulnerabilities. In particular, we reflect on how HIV has created an environment in which issues of culture, health and sexuality have come to be disentangled from the moral agendas of earlier years. As a venue for the dissemination of a reinvigorated scholarship, Culture, Health & Sexuality provides a platform for a community of often like-minded, rigorous thinkers, to provide new and established perspectives, methods and voices and to present important developments in studies of sex, sexuality and sex work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Allman
- a Dalla Lana School of Public Health , University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada
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13
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McKee A. Pornography as a creative industry: challenging the exceptionalist approach to pornography. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/23268743.2015.1065202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Basnyat I. Lived experiences of street-based female sex workers in Kathmandu: implications for health intervention strategies. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2014; 16:1040-1051. [PMID: 24938825 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2014.922620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The lived experiences of women sex workers illustrate that sex work is frequently a manifestation of limited access to education, resources and jobs due to violence, oppression and patriarchy. However, some Nepalese sex workers reconstitute sex work as a viable form of work that provides food and shelter for their families and allows fulfillment of their duties as mothers. Through a culture-centred approach to research, which emphasis the voices of the marginalised and their own articulations of how marginalised spaces are negotiated, this paper offers an entry point to locating sex workers as active participants in their day-to-day lives. Thirty-five in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with street-based female sex workers. Thematic analysis revealed the following three themes: (1) surviving through sex work, (2) financial security in sex work and (3) surviving sex work stigma. These findings have implications for health promotion involving members of this population. Lived experiences illustrate the need to move away from traditional, top-down, linear behaviour-change health campaigns to reconstitute health interventions within a participatory bottom-up approach that includes the voices of participants and is situated within their own context and needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iccha Basnyat
- a Department of Communications & New Media , National University of Singapore , Singapore
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Wolff MM, Grov C, Smith MD, Koken JA, Parsons JT. Male clients' behaviours with and perspectives about their last male escort encounter: comparing repeat versus first-time hires. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2014; 16:850-863. [PMID: 24915753 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2014.919408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Research on men who have sex with men suggests that condomless anal intercourse occurs more frequently in established sexual relationships. While comparable data regarding male-for-male escorting is unavailable, research implies that many clients seek emotional as well as physical connections with the men they hire. In 2012, 495 male clients, recruited via daddysreviews.com completed an online survey about their last hiring experience. Most participants were from the USA (85.7%), the UK and Canada (3.2% each). In total, 75% of encounters involved an escort hired for the first time; 25% were with a previously hired escort ('repeat encounter'). The client's age, lifetime number of escorts hired and number hired in the past year were positively associated with the last encounter being a repeat encounter. Cuddling, sharing a meal, drinking alcohol, taking a walk, watching a show and shopping were also positively associated with repeat encounters. Conversely, none of the sexual behaviours were significantly associated with repeat encounters. Repeat encounters were significantly more likely to include non-sexual behaviours alongside sexual activities, but no more likely to involve condomless anal intercourse. Moreover, clients' knowledge of escorts' HIV status was not significantly associated with engaging in condomless anal intercourse with repeat encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret M Wolff
- a Graduate Center of the City University of New York , New York , USA
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