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Sex Work: Rethinking the Job, Respecting the Workers
In the early twentieth century, abolitionists sought to stamp out sex work by penalizing all involved. In the generation that followed, neo-abolitionists looked at the sex industry from a feminist perspective, claiming that workers were victims caught in a patriarchal matrix. Yet both agreed that the industry was a destructive and corrupting force that should be eliminated. In this radical volume, five academics and activists convey their vision of prostitution as work, reclaiming the place of sex workers in the discussion of their lives and their work, and opposing discourses that position them as merely victims without agency.
- GenresSex Work
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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February 1, 2022
Let me preface this review by saying that I read it with my own biases: 1) I believe sex work is work 2) I believe we need to protect sex workers in order to protect sex trafficking victims & survivors, and 3) Chris Bruckert is on my thesis committee.
Automatically, this book gets 5 stars from me regardless of the fact I may not have even turned the first page yet. I finished it in all of 12 hours. I simply could not put it down.
From an academic standpoint, this book really draws on the social ostracism faced my sex workers; the evolution and introduction of many feminist perspectives /literature over the past few decades; and finally, the way in which International, domestic and criminal law frames and therefore responds to sex work, or as the authors posit, “prostitution” (emphasis on the quotation marks). This book is written by and in conjunction with sex workers, which in and of itself deserves merit.
If you don’t support sex work, be prepared to have every single one of your opinions on the matter turned on their heads. If you support sex work, this book is your ally and may help you engage in critical conversations with your peers about the industry.
As the book shows, the actual presence of “pimps” and “managers” is far less than as is described in popular media. Most sex workers work both consensually and autonomously.
From an economic perspective, this book discusses what a large task it would be to abolish the sex work industry altogether, and how, if this is the end goal, you would essentially have to eliminate both the market and procurement elements of global business. It also discusses in detail how the use of statistics as a scare tactic are seen often when discussing anything in relation to the dirty word - sex. These statistics, upon further review, are not always empirical and in most cases are worded in such a way to make those who read them believe that there is an alarming problem in the sex industry. As someone who studies HT, I appreciate this sentiment, as I myself have learned that behind the scary statistics shoved down our throats there is a lot more to unpack and disseminate before you can have a full understanding. Furthermore, these statistics are often only used in light of denouncing the problem an international organization denounces, rather than understanding the other facets that are closely related - but perhaps not entirely related - to the issue worthy of denunciation. For instance, statistics can be grouped into the sole category of “prostitution” without distinguishing which percentage of this prostitution is voluntary and involuntary - talk about moral panic for those who do not read into things or think outside the box.
Another great point made by the authors is the categorization of sex work as “violence”, but the lack of discussion around violence against sex workers - again, a conversation that people need to be having if we have any hopes of not only ending violence against sex workers or the stigmatization surrounding sex work, but more aptly, violence against women and girls as a whole.
One amazing point made in this book is the notion that sex work is not work because there is a sexual element to it. The authors go on to discuss how female bartenders are often expected to portray a different image than their male counterparts - one that requires a certain physique, certain clothes and a flirtatious attitude towards customers. This is deemed sexuality, no? But because a female bartender works in a place where she can flirt with a male customer without taking her clothes off or going home with said customer, this sexuality is void of the very judgments that sex work faces as an occupation.
Finally, this book discusses the regulation necessary to safely engage in sex work. As the authors put it, sex work is unregulated work. Unlike most other occupations where the limits around what a customer can demand, the safety precautions in place, and the overall outline of expectations is apparent, sex work does not have that. Because sex work is not accepted by society as a legitimate type of work, the rules are often made through the experiences of the sex worker and on an individual basis, but may be subject to change with each community or client. Instead of regulation, sex workers face outright criminalization and thus, operate mostly underground in an attempt to avoid any sort or run-ins with the criminal Justice system. This, through and through, increases the risks associated with an occupation that like so many others, has risks involved in the first place. I would again argue that we need to decriminalize consensual sex workers and regulate sex work in conjunction with sex workers as to allow for them to engage in this industry respectfully, voluntarily and most importantly, safely.
I’ll stop ranting now but this book is a must read for anyone involved in law, sociology, criminology, feminist literature, social work, business, and sex work (both from an academic standpoint and an occupational standpoint). This blew me out of the water - and I’m not just saying that because I adore Chris Bruckert.
Automatically, this book gets 5 stars from me regardless of the fact I may not have even turned the first page yet. I finished it in all of 12 hours. I simply could not put it down.
From an academic standpoint, this book really draws on the social ostracism faced my sex workers; the evolution and introduction of many feminist perspectives /literature over the past few decades; and finally, the way in which International, domestic and criminal law frames and therefore responds to sex work, or as the authors posit, “prostitution” (emphasis on the quotation marks). This book is written by and in conjunction with sex workers, which in and of itself deserves merit.
If you don’t support sex work, be prepared to have every single one of your opinions on the matter turned on their heads. If you support sex work, this book is your ally and may help you engage in critical conversations with your peers about the industry.
As the book shows, the actual presence of “pimps” and “managers” is far less than as is described in popular media. Most sex workers work both consensually and autonomously.
From an economic perspective, this book discusses what a large task it would be to abolish the sex work industry altogether, and how, if this is the end goal, you would essentially have to eliminate both the market and procurement elements of global business. It also discusses in detail how the use of statistics as a scare tactic are seen often when discussing anything in relation to the dirty word - sex. These statistics, upon further review, are not always empirical and in most cases are worded in such a way to make those who read them believe that there is an alarming problem in the sex industry. As someone who studies HT, I appreciate this sentiment, as I myself have learned that behind the scary statistics shoved down our throats there is a lot more to unpack and disseminate before you can have a full understanding. Furthermore, these statistics are often only used in light of denouncing the problem an international organization denounces, rather than understanding the other facets that are closely related - but perhaps not entirely related - to the issue worthy of denunciation. For instance, statistics can be grouped into the sole category of “prostitution” without distinguishing which percentage of this prostitution is voluntary and involuntary - talk about moral panic for those who do not read into things or think outside the box.
Another great point made by the authors is the categorization of sex work as “violence”, but the lack of discussion around violence against sex workers - again, a conversation that people need to be having if we have any hopes of not only ending violence against sex workers or the stigmatization surrounding sex work, but more aptly, violence against women and girls as a whole.
One amazing point made in this book is the notion that sex work is not work because there is a sexual element to it. The authors go on to discuss how female bartenders are often expected to portray a different image than their male counterparts - one that requires a certain physique, certain clothes and a flirtatious attitude towards customers. This is deemed sexuality, no? But because a female bartender works in a place where she can flirt with a male customer without taking her clothes off or going home with said customer, this sexuality is void of the very judgments that sex work faces as an occupation.
Finally, this book discusses the regulation necessary to safely engage in sex work. As the authors put it, sex work is unregulated work. Unlike most other occupations where the limits around what a customer can demand, the safety precautions in place, and the overall outline of expectations is apparent, sex work does not have that. Because sex work is not accepted by society as a legitimate type of work, the rules are often made through the experiences of the sex worker and on an individual basis, but may be subject to change with each community or client. Instead of regulation, sex workers face outright criminalization and thus, operate mostly underground in an attempt to avoid any sort or run-ins with the criminal Justice system. This, through and through, increases the risks associated with an occupation that like so many others, has risks involved in the first place. I would again argue that we need to decriminalize consensual sex workers and regulate sex work in conjunction with sex workers as to allow for them to engage in this industry respectfully, voluntarily and most importantly, safely.
I’ll stop ranting now but this book is a must read for anyone involved in law, sociology, criminology, feminist literature, social work, business, and sex work (both from an academic standpoint and an occupational standpoint). This blew me out of the water - and I’m not just saying that because I adore Chris Bruckert.
Displaying 1 of 1 review