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Not a Choice, Not a Job: Exposing the Myths about Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade
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A generation ago, most people did not know how ubiquitous and grave human trafficking was. Now many people agree that the $35.7 billion business is an appalling violation of human rights. But when confronted with prostitution, many people experience an odd disconnect because prostitution is shrouded in myths, among them the claims that “prostitution is inevitable,” and “pr
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This is an excellent introduction to sex trafficking and the ramifications behind "harm-reduction" tactics of decriminalization/legalization.
The important take away message from this is that there is no acceptable way to justify the purchasing and renting of the bodies of women and children (particularly those who are the most vulnerable among us). And it's no surprise that the most pivotal line was "Where are all the feminists?"
Feminism has to be about the liberation of women as a social ...more
The important take away message from this is that there is no acceptable way to justify the purchasing and renting of the bodies of women and children (particularly those who are the most vulnerable among us). And it's no surprise that the most pivotal line was "Where are all the feminists?"
Feminism has to be about the liberation of women as a social ...more
An excellent resource to anyone interested in the abolitionist stance towards the sex industry, Not a Choice, Not a Job offers a thorough, well-cited, and even-handed discussion of what prostitution looks like in the world today, and how governments, feminists, human rights activists, and the sex industry have responded. The book covers a lot of ground; although full chapters are devoted to Sweden and the Netherlands, Raymond discusses laws and campaigns in dozens of other countries in detail, incl
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I feel like the number of times an author uses air quotes to indicate their disdain for someone else's position can be a pretty good indicator of how rigorous their arguments will be.
The main thesis of the book is that 'sex work' is 'not a job' in so far as most women in the trade are exploited. I really hoped she'd explain that position, but instead, she seems to believe that using extensive air quotes around first person testimonials by women who say they aren't being exploited wil ...more
The main thesis of the book is that 'sex work' is 'not a job' in so far as most women in the trade are exploited. I really hoped she'd explain that position, but instead, she seems to believe that using extensive air quotes around first person testimonials by women who say they aren't being exploited wil ...more
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“If women really choose prostitution, why is it mostly marginalized and disadvantaged women who do? If we want to discuss the issue of choice, let’s look at who is doing the actual choosing in the context of prostitution. Surely the issue is not why women allegedly choose to be in prostitution, but why men choose to buy the bodies of millions of women and children worldwide and call it sex.
Philosophically, the response to the choice debate is ‘not’ to deny that women are capable of choosing within contexts of powerlessness, but to question how much real value, worth, and power these so-called choices confer.
Politically, the question becomes, should the state sanction the sex industry based on the claim that some women choose prostitution when most women’s choice is actually 'compliance’ to the only options available?
When governments idealize women’s alleged choice to be in prostitution by legalizing, decriminalizing, or regulating the sex industry, they endorse a new range of 'conformity’ for women.
Increasingly, what is defended as a choice is not a triumph over oppression but another name for it.”
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More quotes…
Philosophically, the response to the choice debate is ‘not’ to deny that women are capable of choosing within contexts of powerlessness, but to question how much real value, worth, and power these so-called choices confer.
Politically, the question becomes, should the state sanction the sex industry based on the claim that some women choose prostitution when most women’s choice is actually 'compliance’ to the only options available?
When governments idealize women’s alleged choice to be in prostitution by legalizing, decriminalizing, or regulating the sex industry, they endorse a new range of 'conformity’ for women.
Increasingly, what is defended as a choice is not a triumph over oppression but another name for it.”
