Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sex workers'
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1
McCracken, Jill Linnette. "Listening to the Language of Sex Workers: An Analysis of Street Sex Worker Representations and Their Effects on Sex Workers and Society." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194013.
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This dissertation argues that the material conditions of many street sex workers--the physical environments they live in and their effects on the workers' bodies, identities, and spirits--are represented, reproduced, and entrenched in the language surrounding their work. My research is an ethnographic case study of a local system that can be extrapolated to other subcultures and the construction of identities, while situating sex work and the industry as rhetorical constructions. My research offers an example of how an examination of the signs and symbols that comprise "material conditions" can be rhetorically analyzed in order to better understand how goals, agendas, interests, and ideologies are represented and implemented through language.Located central to my analysis are the street sex workers' voices. I use an ideological rhetorical analysis, or rhetorically--the study of how language shapes and is shaped by cultures, institutions, and the individuals within them, and ideologically--the identification and examination of the underlying assumptions of communicative interactions. I delineate how these material conditions are reproduced and, at times, subverted, and I offer an outline for modifying the discourse used in policy in ways that are more empowering and authentic to sex workers' lives.Policy makers, activists, and academics, among others, wrestle with complicated issues to analyze and write laws and policies and to design social services. Discourse is always at the center of these struggles. Because my study investigates the language of policy-making and the people who forge it, it has implications for ethics and policy in relation to gender studies, cultural studies, and ethnographic research.Examining the rhetorical constructions and interactions and their related effects on policy elucidates the discursive complexity that exists in meaning-making systems. This analysis also offers an explanation of how constructions can be made differently in order to achieve representations that are generated by the marginalized populations themselves, while placing responsibility for this marginalization on the society in which these people live.
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Samoudi, (Dekaidek) Nora Tawfiq. "Social justice for sex trafficked females and sex workers in Jordan." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2018. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2117.
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This thesis explores social practices, policies and laws constituting criminal and social justice approaches to providing services and amenities for the sex trafficked females in Jordan. As the discussion of sex trafficked females overlaps with sex workers, this research explores the human rights of both groups who experience different forms of gender-based violence. To understand the protection, care and support that Jordan provides, I interviewed seven service providers offering protection for victims of sex trafficking. Also, I analysed the semiprohibitionist Jordanian Penal Code and the Human Trafficking Legislation that criminalise sex trafficking perpetrators and sex-related actions. This research relies on insights from intersectionality theory to enquire into how better to protect and support women who face intersecting social disadvantages and the threat of honour-based killing that impede them from accessing social and criminal justice. This thesis explores three themes, cultural context, feminism and human rights, and argues for social justice for sex trafficked victims and sex workers including those who neither want to exit sex work nor raise a complaint to the administrators of criminal justice. This thesis found that sex trafficked victims and sex workers were not offered appropriate assistance as the service providers were disempowered. It also found that failure to understand honour and morality reinforces the stereotyping of sex workers.
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Harding-Davis, Erika Nikole. "Social and Structural Barriers to Safer Sex Among Heterosexual Female Sex Workers." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7010.
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Individuals infected with HIV through heterosexual contact made up 24% (9,578) of all new infections in the United States. Female sex workers are at increased risk of getting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) because they may be more likely to participate in risky sexual behaviors including sex with multiple partners and condom-less anal/vaginal sex. Guided by the syndemic theory, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between social and structural factors (homelessness, substance use, immigration status, and use of healthcare) and risky sexual behaviors (condom-less vaginal sex and multiple sex partners) among female sex workers while controlling for age and sexual violence. This study was conducted using a quantitative research approach with a correlational method. Multiple linear regression statistical testing was performed using data from 534 participants from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance study. Immigration status was not significantly associated with condom-less vaginal sex or multiple sex partners. However, homelessness and substance use were positively associated with condom-less vaginal sex and multiple sex partners. In addition, utilization of healthcare was negatively associated with condom-less vaginal sex. The results from this study can increase awareness and knowledge of challenges and barriers among female sex workers living in Illinois. In addition, the results of this study may contribute to establishing baseline epidemiology of this population and guidelines on addressing the factors associated with unsafe sexual behaviors that can potentially lead to HIV and other STIs.
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Smith, Emma. ""Violence can mean a lot of things can't it?" : an exploration of responses to harm associated with indoor sex work in Scotland." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/23515.
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The association of violence with sex work has been widely documented within research and policy. This thesis provides a critique and development of such perspectives. Framed from a qualitative approach, it extends current research which has offered limited insight into the realities of how violence is experienced and responded to by sex workers and agencies involved in the provision of support to sex workers. In this way, the research develops beyond a presumption and narrow understanding of violence/harm in sex work to consider how sex workers and service providers experience, define, and thus construct their responses to harm. Findings from the data indicate variation amongst participants in their responses to harm associated with sex work, with experiences of violence or supporting violence and relationships and interactions between sex workers and service providers being important factors in how these responses are constructed. Both sex workers and service providers, however, recognised and understood associations of sex work with violence and victimisation, and related attempts to encourage individuals to cease or limit involvement in sex work, although this may not apply or be appropriate to all experiences of sex work and sex workers. The thesis contends that in order to gain an informed understanding of, and develop responses to, harm associated with sex work, it is important to consider the diversity of existing experiences of sex work. This should include alternative understandings and experiences of harm that are not limited to, or focused on, violence within sex work, as informed by the experiences of different sex workers. In doing so, there is the potential to better understand and accommodate a range of sex workers’ experiences, needs and interests in ways that do not impact on sex workers’ safety, or contribute to continued stigmatisation or exclusion, where some sex workers do not identify with a view of their work as harmful, or wish to exit sex work. Consequently this could aid the provision and development of services that respect and offer support where required, for different experiences of sex work amongst sex workers.
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Elliott, Nalishebo Kay Gaskell. "The health and wellbeing of female street sex workers." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/19510.
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Previous research on female street sex workers (FSSWs) has primarily concentrated on the stigmatisation of women's involvement in the sex industry particularly with reference to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The response of the criminal justice system to the regulation of the illegal aspects of women's engagement in street sex work has also been criticised. However, the impact of street sex work on the health and wellbeing of these women requires further research. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and needs of female street sex workers in relation to their own health and wellbeing. The study used a qualitative mixed methods approach that included analysis of three sets of data: visual data, secondary data and primary data. There were 10 FSSWs recruited for the primary data sample. The epistemological position underpinning this study is social constructivism and a feminist paradigm has informed the conduct of the research process and data analysis. The theoretical application of Bourdieu's framework of habitus, capital and field has provided the lens through which to explore the socially constructed experiences of FSSWs health and wellbeing. Findings from this study revealed that FSSWs experienced poor physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. They faced limited life choices and often felt discriminated against by the agencies and institutions that should have offered support. The women spoke of their personal histories especially traumatic life events in childhood consisting of sexual abuse, neglect, loss, rejection as well as intimate partner violence in adult life. The loss of their children to social services, housing difficulties and addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine were also significant in contributing to social exclusion and their multiple positions of vulnerability. This study contributes to the body of work on women's health and wellbeing. In particular, it adds to our understanding of the lived experiences of women involved in street sex work. A key public health priority should be the development of policies and systems to provide quality services to support the health, safety and wellbeing of FSSWs.
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Darbha, Subrahmanyam. "Reproductive Health Trends In Female Sex Workers In Madagascar." The Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1309360596.
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Berger, Terisa M. "KNOWLEDGE VERSUS PERCEPTION: SOCIAL WORKERS' VIEW OF SEX OFFENDERS." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/537.
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Social workers comprise one of the leading professions who interact with sex offenders through means of treatment, as well as unexpected life events. The purpose of this study is to evaluate social workers’ knowledge of sex offender laws and how their knowledge impacts their thoughts and feelings about working with sex offenders. Through a survey, social workers registered with the National Association of Social Work (NASW) in Southern California were asked to complete a questionnaire, in which addressed laws and thoughts in regards to sex offenders. One hundred surveys at random were evaluated. The study findings show a relationship between greater knowledge about the sex offender population and lower levels of apprehension a social worker has when working with a sex offender.
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Guarna, Michael. "The voice of Adelaide's sex-workers : a discourse-analytic study /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1995. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09SPS/09spsg916.pdf.
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Woode, Owusu Melvina. "Male Clients of Female Sex Workers : An Exploratory Epidemiological Study." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.532212.
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高小蘭 and Siu-lan Ko. "Mainland migrant sex workers in Hong Kong: a sociological study." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2003. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31227405.
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Aoyama, Kaoru. "Becoming someone else : Thai sex workers from modernisation to globalisation." Thesis, University of Essex, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.418334.
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Deering, Kathleen Nicole. "The structure of sex work : variability in the numbers and types of sex partners of female sex workers in southern India." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/33978.
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Background and objectives: There is limited knowledge of sexual structure (i.e., the numbers, types and distributions of sex partners and patterns of sexual contact) and its relationship with HIV infection and prevention among female sex workers (FSWs). The objectives of this study were therefore: to examine the social and environmental factors associated with the numbers of clients of FSWs; to characterize heterogeneity in sexual structure and assess how sexual structure influences HIV prevalence; and to examine the impact of an HIV intervention on condom use by different partners (clients, intimate partners), as reported by FSWs.
Methods: This study used data collected from FSWs and clients in Karnataka state, southern India as part of the Avahan AIDS Initiative, an ongoing large-scale HIV intervention. Bivariate and multivariable statistical techniques were used to examine the relationships between two outcomes (numbers of clients and condom use) and key social and environmental factors, including exposure to the Avahan intervention. A deterministic compartmental mathematical model was developed to understand how sexual structure influenced HIV prevalence on a population level.
Results: Sexual structure displayed substantial geographic variation across districts in Karnataka. The most common predictors of higher rates of clients were a reliance on sex work as sole income, younger age, and being single or cohabiting as compared to married. The effect of the solicitation environment (e.g., brothels, public places, homes) varied by district. Intervention exposure was associated with increased condom use by FSWs’ clients, but not their intimate partners. Mathematical modelling identified sexual structure parameters with the largest influence on increasing (numbers of clients of FSWs; numbers of visits to FSWs by clients; frequency of sex acts with repeat clients) and decreasing (duration of the repeat FSW-client partnership; fraction of repeat clients) HIV prevalence within and across districts.
Conclusions: Differences in the sexual structure of FSWs and their commercial clients have important implications for HIV transmission dynamics. In light of findings related to both differences in sexual structure across districts and the impact of an intervention on condom use by different partners of FSWs, HIV prevention planners need to tailor interventions to respond to local contexts.
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Nguyen, Tri. "Female Sex Workers and STI/HIV in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, Vietnam: Transmission, Knowledge, Attitudes and Sexual Behaviors." Thesis, Griffith University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367150.
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Female sex workers (FSWs) have been identified as one of the high-risk population groups for HIV and STI infections; they play a potential bridging role in the spread of the STI/HIV epidemic from specific high-risk populations to the general population. A cross-sectional study using mixed methods (quantitative research combined with qualitative research) was conducted to determine the prevalence of STI/HIV infections and assess the levels of STI/HIV-related knowledge, and attitudes towards STIs/HIV and sexual behaviours among FSWs in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Vietnam. Quantitative research methods were used for an epidemiological survey to recruit 420 FSWs in two cities and six districts of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, Vietnam. The survey explored the STI/HIV prevalence, socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors affecting FSWs. The recruited participants were interviewed face-to-face, using a structured questionnaire, and then tested for HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea, and Chlamydia. Qualitative research methods using in-depth interviews with a subsample of 45 FSWs supplemented the quantitative research findings, especially in relation to different perspectives of risk behaviours among FSWs.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Medical Science
Griffith Health
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Maloney, Emma. "Beyond survival sex: An exploratory study of the labour experiences of female street sex workers in Ottawa." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/26707.
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This thesis develops a new theoretical framework outside the research that assumes women engaging in the street sex trade are 'victims' or 'workers', and instead examines the possibility that elements of both categories may be present in their reality. Street sex work is considered as labour, while leaving room for the possibility of the existence of survival sex. This qualitative research consists of an exploratory study of the viability, utility and limitations of a labour framework for understanding and analyzing the experiences of adult female street sex workers interviewed in the Ottawa area.
The findings reveal a number of characteristics unique to street sex work that challenge existing labour frameworks and direct us to rethink street sex work beyond employment. These characteristics are specifically related to the criminalized nature of the work and include, among other things, the reported violence perpetrated by police and clientele. Moreover, by deconstructing common stereotypes attributed to female street sex workers, we are able to normalize sex work and address issues of stigma. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Cheung, Nga. "Accounting for and managing risk in sex work : a study of female sex workers in Hong Kong." Thesis, Royal Holloway, University of London, 2012. http://repository.royalholloway.ac.uk/items/1f9e8dcf-7666-1fe1-5036-0f9fef15b9d0/9/.
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This thesis considers how in the course of their work female sex workers in Hong Kong experience risk. It concerns the indoor side of the sex market, an area which has so far been largely ignored in studies on commercial sex. The focus is on women working independently from flats. Focusing on women's own accounts of work-related risks, risky behaviour and coping strategies, this study investigates sex workers' reflexive understandings of prostitution and their occupational risk in late modern societies. The study emphasises the social, cultural, interactional and situational context, to understand the ways in which women involved in sex work conceptualise and respond to risk. There are three main themes emerge in sex workers' accounts. The first one is sexual health and diseases. In this empirical chapter, the main focus is on the flat-working women's accounts of themselves and their risk-taking (or risk-avoiding) behaviour in (potentially) risky situations, where, for example, unprotected sex has occurred. The findings suggest that, despite sex workers are being frequently seen as most susceptible to sexual health problems, the social norms which exist among sex workers and their clients play a crucial role in enabling sex workers to gain control over the sexual encounter and avoid risk behaviour. The next theme is violence against sex workers. Findings suggest that what violent crime symbolises in the context of sex work is that some women are beneath contempt because of their working identity. It is more “acceptable” to perpetrate violence against sex workers because this group is set apart from women in other service occupations. The last theme is concerned with sex workers' accounts of their emotional experiences at work, which mainly explores how social and cultural factors influence individuals' interpretation and accounts of their emotions. Accounts given by women demonstrate that many of them seemingly did not conceive their involvement in the sex business as “wrong”. Nevertheless, because sex work is still largely marginalised and stigmatised in Chinese societies, they might experience unpleasant emotions which were mostly related to the “whore” stigma.
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Dasgupta, Shruti. "Experiences of Violence and Sex Work among Women Sex Workers in West Bengal, India: A Narrative Analysis." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1524159000871492.
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Tuchovsky, Charleen M. "Galatea's uprising activism in the United States sex workers' rights movement /." Related electronic resource: Current Research at SU : database of SU dissertations, recent titles available full text, 2006. http://proquest.umi.com/login?COPT=REJTPTU0NWQmSU5UPTAmVkVSPTI=&clientId=3739.
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Durant, Ben L. "Survival stripped bare: an ethnography of street sex workers in Dandenong." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2015. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/20e36274840f96c8fe42da2b40e25de300ac04b016836a68e3287367d1a9edb7/2840882/Durant_2015_Survival_Stripped_Bare.pdf.
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This thesis is an ethnographic exploration of the micro world of the street sex market in Dandenong Australia. Using participant observation and semi structured interviews it explores the culture of the markets and network of people who sells sex in it, and considers how this knowledge may contribute to a more effective response from the youth and community sector. This study contributes to the existing body of research on street sex work through its exploration of the emerging and currently under-researched street sex market in Dandenong. Using an ethnographic approach, this study provides an in-depth account of the daily lived experience of people selling sex on the street in this context. This study asks questions about the geography of street sex work in Dandenong, the social network of this street sex market and its role in the lives of people selling sex in this context, the relationship between agency and addiction in the lives of local sex workers, and of the men who buy sex in this market. The study finds the space of street sex work in Dandenong to be the product of competing tensions between sex workers, police and the broader community as they play out on the street. People selling sex on the street in Dandenong are among the communities most marginalised, vulnerable and disenfranchised. Local sex workers often have few positive mainstream social connections, which can increase their reliance on peer connections and position in the markets social network for access to key resources required for their survival. The relative isolation sex workers often empowers violent or exploitative partners and can keep them in these relationships longer than they may have been otherwise. This study finds that most people selling sex on the street in Dandenong do so to fund a high-cost addiction to heroin. The thesis suggests that the participation of local sex workers in illicit, high-risk forms of commercial sex forms part of their negotiation of the negative affects of heroin addiction. Their experience of addiction and reliance on the local street economy for their survival binds them to a cycle of drug use and street sex work around which life for most people in this context revolves. Finally, clients report a preference for ‘authenticity’ in the sex they buy. They cite the use of public space and more casual style of dress and demeanour of street sex workers in Dandenong as key to their decision to buy sex in this market instead of in other commercial sex contexts. Street sex work in Dandenong occurs in a high-risk, contested space in which sex workers negotiate risk and exposure to harm as part of their daily lives. Their relative isolation from mainstream support increases their reliance on their ingenuity, savviness and position in the peer network for their survival. This thesis argues that a front-line, relationship based response from the youth and community sector could reduce local street sex workers’ reliance on the range of potentially exploitative social ties that become particularly problematic when they develop beyond the reach of mainstream support.
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Leaney, Zelda. "Health care for female sex workers : need, risk, access & provision." Thesis, University of Bath, 2006. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.428357.
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Sex workers are not only acted upon by medical, moral and legal discourses due to the risk they present to their own health but also due to the perceived risk they pose to the health of others. The diverse settings and different ways in which sex can be sold, combined with previous life experiences contribute to the wide variation in need and risk. This thesis investigates the differential understandings of need, risk, access to and provision of health care between sex workers and health care service providers. Simultaneously it offers an explanation for the continuation of need when health care provision exists. Four discursive themes directed the research: need, risk, access and provision. Data was obtained from semi-structured interviews with street and non-street sex workers and service providers. Discourse analysis was performed to ascertain the conditions, rules and authority under which statements in relation to the discursive themes are constructed. Thematic indexing enabled the analysis of the discursive themes within the empirical data, considering the inter-relationship with discursive constructs (i.e. stigma, safety, pollution, rights and power) identified within previous moral, medical and legal discourse. Sex workers and service providers identified need and risk as problematic drug use, damaged mental health, STIs and violence, but categorise and prioritise differently. Complex constructions were identified, suggesting underlying influences that direct them. Contradictions and tensions exist within the differential construction of the discursive themes, made more problematic by the chaotic lifestyle of many sex workers. The differential understandings must be recognised or the sex worker will continue to be 'maintained' within the complex and interlinked relationships of prostitution, damaged mental health and problematic drug use, the latter two made worse by prostitution but not solely a result of prostituting.
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Yusuf, Abass Babatunde. "Adherence to ART among HIV Infected Female Sex Workers in Nigeria." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7524.
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A lack of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) increases the risk of onward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and mortality. The purpose of this cross-sectional study based on Andersen's conceptual framework was to test the associations between age, marital status, job/occupational status, education, membership in a peer support group, community, and facility ARV drug refill and alcohol and substance use, and adherence to ART among female sex workers (FSWs) who are 15 years and older in Rivers and Cross Rivers states Nigeria. Data were abstracted from existing program data collected between January 2015 and December 2017 by Heartland Alliance International, Nigeria. Results from chi-square statistics showed that age, job/employment, and marital status were not associated with adherence to ART. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that respondents with senior secondary education were 1.385 times more likely to adhere to ART than other education levels (OR = 1.385, 95% CI = 1.203, 1.593). Respondents who had ARV refill in the facility were 1.737 times more likely to adhere to ART than respondents who had community ARV refill (OR= 1.737, 95% CI: 1.297, 2.326). Also, respondents who were a member of a support group were 6.430 times more likely to adhere to ART compared to those not in a support group (OR= 6.430, 95% CI: 4.682, 8.831). Lastly, respondents who did not abuse alcohol or substance were 1.820 times likely to adhere to ART compared to those who did (OR= 1.820, 95%: CI: 1.356, 2.444). All-inclusive key population policies could aid in lessening the barriers the FSWs face in receiving comprehensive health services as well as endorsing interventions such as alcohol and drug rehabilitation, counseling, and incentives to join peer support groups that could benefit FSWs, their clients, and families.
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Weber, Amanda M. "Choice, Circumstance, or Coercion: Prostitution Stigma's Effects on Mental Health Professionals' Perceptions of Sex Workers and Sex Work." Thesis, Boston College, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108788.
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Thesis advisor: Janet E. HelmsHistorically, psychological theory and mental health researchers have viewed sex work as inherently harmful to sex workers and capable of producing negative mental and physical health effects (Sprankle et al., 2018). Moreover, research focused on clinicians’ expectations for sex workers in therapy has not specifically examined clinicians’ attitudes toward sex workers or sex work as separate concepts (Benoit et al., 2015; Koken, 2011; Ma et al., 2017). In addition, mental health professionals may not view sex work as legitimate work because of the virtual lack of evidence-based theoretical frameworks for guiding therapy for sex workers, and, therefore, may use prostitution stigma as a substitute for theory (Krumrei-Mancuso, 2017; Williamson & Cluse-Tolar, 2002). The present study investigated the extent to which mental health professionals’ expectations of sex work and sex workers were related to prostitution stigma and their perceptions of sex workers’ overall mental health and evaluations of sex work as decent work. In particular, the study investigated the extent to which mental health professionals stigmatized the work of sex workers. Mental health professionals (N = 201) read a clinical vignette and completed an online survey containing a demographic information sheet, the Attitudes Toward Prostitutes and Prostitution Scale (Levin & Peled, 2011); (c) the Decent Work Scale (Duffy et al., 2017), (d) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Zigmond & Snaith, 1986), and (e) the PTSD-8 (Hansen et al., 2010). Results from multivariate multiple regression analyses supported that when mental health professionals held higher levels of stigma towards sex work and sex workers, they may diagnose the client with higher levels of PTSD symptoms. Further, the results supported that endorsement of a feminist orientation moderated the relationship between sex work stigma and diagnosis clients’ PTSD avoidance symptoms. The discussion included methodological limitations and implications for research and practice
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology
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Tian, Fengrui. "Rationalizing (In)Capacities: The Impacts of NGOs' Ways to Mobilize Resources." Thesis, Boston College, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108929.
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Thesis advisor: Julia ChuangExisting literature on NGOs in China depicted NGOs as either depoliticized service providers or harbinger of democracy expecting them to mobilize movements or participate in policy advocacy. However, few explain what accounts for differences in their capacities. While some scholars argue that NGOs’ relations with different actors in the field have influence on variations of their capacities, they do not disaggregate what resources are mobilized in such relationship management. Extending their arguments, I argue that NGOs leverage relationships to obtain essential resources such as symbolic legitimation from the state, financial support from civil society actors and social embeddedness from constituencies to operate effectively. Drawing upon four months ethnography on three NGOs serving the needs of sex workers in greater China region, I illustrate how these NGOs are either capable of carrying out their original political mission—to decriminalize sex work in China—or deflected into service provision, through their mobilization and attainments of different resources
Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2020
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Sociology
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Supawadee, Petrat Pimpawun Boonmongkon. "Human rights education as a tool for empowerment of female sex workers : a case study of one non-formal education program for female sex workers in Thailand /." Abstract, 2006. http://mulinet3.li.mahidol.ac.th/thesis/2549/cd398/4537358.pdf.
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Escamilla, Loredo María Ixhel [Verfasser]. "Developing safer sex negotiation skills among Latin American female sex workers working in Germany / María Ixhel Escamilla Loredo." Bielefeld : Universitätsbibliothek Bielefeld, 2014. http://d-nb.info/1060824353/34.
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Begum, Khurshida Pimonpan Isarabhakdi. "Impact of HIV/AIDS prevention program on safe sex practice among brothel based commercial sex workers in Bangladesh /." Abstract, 2003. http://mulinet3.li.mahidol.ac.th/thesis/2546/cd357/4538001.pdf.
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Caldwell, Hilary Judith. "Long-Term Clients Who Access Commercial Sexual Services in Australia." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8197.
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Abstract Until the last 20 years research into the people who buy sexual services has represented less than one per cent of all sex industry research (Perkins, 1999). In recent years, publications from diverse disciplines, including health sciences, medicine, psychology, theology and sociology have added knowledge about people who buy sex, in part because of the criminalisation in some countries of buying sex. Much of this available literature has established that ‘normal’ men buy sex, and provides information about the prevalence of buying sex, motivations to buy sex, and the risks of buying sex. Some recent qualitative research reveals that buying sex can be a deeply emotional experience with accompanying positive benefits to health and well-being (Earle & Sharp, 2007; Sanders, 2008a). However, much of the research that has been conducted about people who buy sex has not directly accessed the clients themselves or has not used methods that offer a holistic understanding of their experiences. This empirical study, conducted in Australia during 2010, exposes gaps in current knowledge about men who buy sex, their feelings about buying sex in the context of their other relationships, their feelings about sex workers and money and, the effects of stigma. It is an exploratory qualitative study that represents clients of sex workers in their own words and identifies experiences and issues that are of importance to them. Through interpretive phenomenological analysis, the research project aims to answer the question of how being a client of the sex industry affects how men feel about themselves and their sexuality. An on-line approach to recruitment and data collection ensured safety and encouraged honesty by keeping participants anonymous and was successful in recruiting 137 possible research participants. These self-selecting, volunteer participants were invited to answer a short questionnaire and write a narrative about their experiences, which was guided by asking about key areas of research interest such as: motivations, perceived risks and benefits, and stigma and discrimination. Fifty-three narratives were examined for their suitability and for their depth in addressing the research questions; 27 of these were selected for further analysis based on the comprehensiveness of the narrative and their eligibility for the study. Men who had purchased sex about monthly for at least one year or more were eligible to participate in the study. Data achieved theoretical saturation at which point no new concepts emerged through further analysis. The final sample consisted of 27 men with an average age of 44 who had been buying sex for an average of 18 years. Participants differed in their sexual orientations and the genders of sex workers from whom they bought sex; some men also bought sex from genders other than their identified sexual orientation would suggest. All participants discussed aspects of their relationship status as a justification for buying sex; those who were partnered described why their primary relationships did not satisfy their sexual needs, and those who were single defended their right to buy sex as conferred by their single status. Motivations to buy sex were multifactorial for each participant, which occasionally conflicted within a single account, and mainly related to seeking sexual variety, seeking emotional intimacy, and convenience. Participants considered that the financial part of the commercial sex transaction was more important than the sex, and that emotional benefits of buying sex outweighed both physical benefits and the burdens of guilt, fear of STIs, discrimination and stigma. They demonstrate that their decisions to buy sex are complex and that men are silenced by internal and external stigma, and by not feeling empowered to disclose their status as a client of the sex industry. Participants wrote about their feelings about sex workers, describing feelings of integrity, gratitude and respect towards them. They spoke politically about the sex industry as a whole and also about other clients of sex workers. They rejected stereotypes for themselves while projecting deviant client beliefs onto imaginary others. In addition to identified areas for further research, the findings about sex industry clients’ diversity in buying sex, their fear of STIs, and assertions of condom use, will enable health care providers to offer appropriate sexual health care and education. The stress that participants placed on finances, primary relationships and rejection of stereotypes will assist counsellors and practitioners to better understand men who buy sex and, more generally, sexuality and the human condition. The findings will contribute to dissolution of deviant stereotypes and will allow policy and law makers to consider consumer representatives in debates about the sex industry.
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Paoli, Tessa. "Deconstructing the Sex Workers' Rights Movement in San Francisco: Histories from Below." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2014. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/410.
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This is an investigation of the sex workers’ rights movement in San Francisco. My project is aimed at demystifying the movement and taking its aims seriously in order to see how it has succeeded and failed. This investigation analyses the mainstream rhetoric of the sex workers’ rights movement in San Francisco, and also uncovers sex work narratives that push against societal ideas of legitimate work, empowerment, agency and resistance.
This investigation is divided into two chapters. My first chapter titled “COYOTE to the St. James Infirmary: A Historical Analysis of the sex workers’ Rights Movement in San Francisco” is inspired by Kathi Weeks’ analysis of the movement for domestic wages in the 1970’s and argues that the early movement succeeded in challenging normative ideas of work and sexuality, but ultimately failed because of the exclusion of sex workers of color and/or gender nonconforming sex workers from the movement.
Chapter II, titled “The Silenced Scripts of Sex Workers: Histories Written from Below” uses Paul Apostolidis’ Grascian framework to explain why an investigation of sex workers’ zines, podcasts, blogs and magazines are essential in understanding theoretical themes that underlined the rhetoric of the sex workers’ rights movement in San Francisco. I argue that these narratives must be included in mainstream discourses surrounding sex work in order for sex workers to gain rights and remain safe on the streets of San Francisco.
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Kessler, Justine L. "The voices of sex workers (prostitues?) and the dilemma of feminist discourse." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2005. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0001188.
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Sanders, Teela. "A risky business : how sex workers manage their clients, community and conscience." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.270471.
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Monthony, Jessica E. "Reconfiguring power, identity and resistance: An analysis of consciousness in sex workers." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/278690.
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Previous feminist literature has theorized sex work as either the reproduction of dominance of women or as a transgressive medium through which female sexuality may be liberated from oppressive structures of power. These models enforce a repressive hypothesis of power and conclude that women are either existing in a false state of consciousness leading them to collude with power, or that there exists an intact female consciousness which may be liberated through the creation of alternative sexual discourses. In contrast to these incomplete analyses, my work builds upon Foucaults' writings on power as productive of consciousness, and Judith Butler's work on identity as performative. The experiences of sex workers which I draw upon illustrate the ambiguous co-existance within subjects of both resistance to, and dependency upon, power. By theorizing sex work as a conscious performance of gender, I analyze how sex workers become conscious of, enact resistance to, and remain dependent upon, the construction of gender.
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Kessler, Justine L. "The Voices of Sex Workers (prostitutes?) and the Dilemma of Feminist Discourse." Scholar Commons, 2005. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/722.
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The existence of prostitution has been a longtime concern for many societies. It has also been a complicated issue within feminist discourse. Some women choose sex work as a viable economic option while others are forced into prostitution by traffickers and pimps and some are forced into it due to disadvantaged circumstances. The presence of sex work and prostitution is one of the occurrences that accompany a patriarchal capitalist system. Many feminists indeed argue that prostitution is a byproduct of a patriarchal capitalist system. The migration of women for sex work and the trafficking of women into prostitution cannot occur without participation of a dominant more powerful group, and a marginalized less powerful group. Sex work and prostitution are complicated components in an ever increasingly connected world. However, all too often, the belief that a patriarchal capitalist system supports the migration of women for sex work and the trafficking of women into prostitution fails to encompass all the complexities surrounding these occurrences.
The existence of sex work and prostitution involves legal, economic, political, and moral implications that deserve broad theorization. In order to more fully understand the legal, economic, political, and moral implications that contribute to the existence of sex work and prostitution, the voices of women that are involved must be illuminated. While this interview does not yet exist, I argue that only through interviews of women in sex work and prostitution can we fully understand the issue. Illuminating the voices of these women will help to reveal how issues surrounding sex workersí agency and victimization of trafficked women are present and absent within feminist discourse.
This thesis focuses on the differences between women sex workers with agency and women who are victims of trafficking and pimping. It also discusses the migration of women into the sex industry. The discussion of agency and victimization is applied to modern and postmodern feminist theory. Modern feminist theory is useful to an understanding of how sex work and prostitution are oppressive to the women involved and how conditions of agency and victimization are supported and/or negated. Postmodern feminist theory transforms the focus of the discussion from the identity of sex workers and prostitutes as agents and victims to a discussion of these women as subjects. First person interviews by sex workers reveal their subjectivity and supports the argument that what they do is indeed work, and it is viewed as such by the women themselves. Inclusion of the voices of sex workers and prostitutes also reveals the issues and concerns that they experience as employees in sex work and prostitution.
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Wotton, Rachel Ann. "Sex workers who provide services to clients with disability in New South Wales, Australia." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/16875.
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Aims: Sexuality and sexual needs/desires of people with disability have historically been overlooked amongst the general public. Long standing social attitudes and stereotypes have fundamentally dictated that people with disabilities cannot and should not express their sexual agency. In particular, when people with disability have sought to express their sexual needs via the services of a sex worker, this has tended to provoke much social and political ire. This research is an exploratory study about sex workers who provide services to clients with disability. The aim of this research is to identify the nature and extent of such activities to produce empirical data to support anecdotal evidence and recent emerging research in this field. Method: This exploratory online survey asked sex workers who worked in New South Wales (NSW) to share their experiences of providing services to clients with disability. This included the frequency, type and range of services provided, location of service delivery and how clients made contact. Questions were asked regarding third party assistance and the identification of any barriers or challenges faced by sex workers. The survey also encouraged sex workers to share personal reflections on what they thought were the most positive aspects of their work. Results: The findings, from 65 respondents, indicate that sex workers in NSW have provided a wide range of sexual services to clients with disability across the state. The sex workers’ ages ranged from 21 to 61 years, identifying as either female, male or transgender. Services were provided in varied locations including brothels, massage parlours, private homes, hotels, nursing homes, the client’s hospital room or their client’s group home/ supported accommodation. Their clients’ disabilities were quite expansive, spanned both physical and cognitive disabilities and acquired and congenital disabilities. A number of issues and barriers were identified that concerned the client, carers, support staff and / or family and friends of the client. Forty seven sex workers shared their personal perspectives of what they considered the most positive aspects in providing services to clients with disability. Conclusions: The respondents’ narratives revealed their professional enthusiasm with interacting with clients with disability. This includes a desire to have further training and support to alleviate barriers and challenging situations that impede clear communication and supportive pathways between themselves and their clients. These results also contribute to an awareness of how decriminalisation can provide a supportive environment for this to occur. This study builds upon an expanding body of work that can be used to educate and influence the future development of training and awareness workshops for sex workers, disability services provider, clients with a disability, academics, policy makers and the general public.
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Evans, Catrin. "Commercial sex work and sexual health : an ethnographic study of HIV prevention among female commercial sex workers in Calcutta." Thesis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (University of London), 2000. http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/682301/.
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This thesis presents the results of ethnographic research conducted from 1995 to 1997 among sex workers in two Calcutta redlight areas where a STD/HIV Intervention Project (SHIP) is being implemented. The thesis provides an in-depth study of sex workers' lives, their concepts of sexual health and their relationship to the SHIP. This material is used to critically consider a number of key concepts currently informing HIV prevention practice, specifically, sexual health, community participation, empowerment and behaviour change. Initial chapters set the background to the study and describe the complex world of the Calcutta sex trade and sex workers' struggle to construct a meaningful social identity. Subsequent chapters consider sex workers' and other actors' varying responses to, and interpretations of, the SHIP. These are related to an analysis of the process of project implementation, revealing the context-dependent, strategic, meaningful and contested nature of community, identity, participation and empowerment, and also highlighting the significance of different constructions of agency for the ways in which these concepts are expressed by different actors. The thesis goes on to examine sex workers' own (vis a vis biomedical) perceptions of sexual health and, drawing upon the SHIP as an example, analyses the representations, meanings and strategic uses of different kinds of knowledge and its perceived role in behaviour change. The next chapter looks at the varying meanings that sexual practices take on for sex workers in the context of their social and occupational position. It examines women's strategies around safer sex and uses this material to critique conventional theories of behaviour change, arguing for a perspective that acknowledges sex workers' agency yet recognizes the ways in which its expression is shaped and constrained by micro and macro level socio-cultural and economic forces. The thesis concludes by arguing that in-depth ethnographic research on sex workers' lives combined with a contextually embedded analysis of the processes and meanings of an intervention yields important insights for understanding, developing and replicating effective HIV prevention initiatives among this group.
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Yuon, Fuk-lung Eric. "An investigation of gender inequality in the social work field in Hong Kong." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 1993. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B42128407.
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Mashumba, Lesedi. "The pursuit of sex through tourism in Africa: An exploration of the experiences, perceptions and attitudes of male sex workers servicing sex tourists in Botswana." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2021. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207884/1/Lesedi_Mashumba_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis investigates the experiences, attitudes and perceptions of gender, sexuality, race, and victimisation in male sex workers' interactions with sex tourists in Botswana. The correlation between sex work and sex tourism is very complex, especially in the African context where denial of its existence is entangled with religious disapproval and politicisation. Local dynamics are explored to understand how these cross-national interactions influence the practice and perceptions of male sex work in Botswana. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with male sex workers, support groups and the police as important actors in a semi-criminalised and ambiguous legal system in Botswana.
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Socías, María Eugenia. "Access to health care among women sex workers in Vancouver, Canada : universal health coverage in a criminalized sex work environment." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/55505.
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Background: Universal access to health care is a critical determinant of health. Despite the numerous health inequities faced by women sex workers, research on access to health services among this population remains limited, particularly on the role of social-structural factors. This thesis sought to investigate sex workers experiences along the continuum of health care access in a setting with universal health coverage.
Methods: Data was dawn from “An Evaluation of Sex Workers’ Health Access”(AESHA), an open prospective cohort of women sex workers in Vancouver, Canada. Logistic regression analyses were employed to evaluate correlates of institutional barriers to care (using generalized estimating equations for longitudinal data), and to assess baseline engagement in the HCV continuum of care. Extended cox regression analyses, with a confounder model approach, were used to examine the independent effect of depot medroxyprogesterone on HSV-2 acquisition.
Results: These analyses demonstrated inequities faced by sex workers all along the continuum of health care access, from trying to reach health services (Chapter 2), to utilizing these services (Chapter 3), to the impacts of inadequate and sub-optimal care on their health outcomes (Chapter 4). Among 723 participants, 70.4% reported institutional barriers to health care, only half (52.9%) of 552 HCV-seronegative participants having a recent HCV test, and less than 1% of the 302 women living with HCV receiving treatment. Further, high incidence rates of HSV-2 were documented, with depot medroxyprogesterone use independently associated with approximately 4-times increased risk. Importantly, barriers to care appeared to be exacerbated among most vulnerable women, including sexual/gender minorities, migrants, women of Aboriginal Ancestry, uninsured and those with previous experiences of violence.
Conclusions: Findings from this research revealed systemic and persistent barriers to appropriate and quality care among sex workers, highlighting the crucial role played by structural factors in shaping their health care seeking patterns and outcomes. These results further underscore the need to explore new models of care, as well as broader institutional and legal changes to fulfill women sex workers health and human rights, and fully realize the aims of the Canadian universal health system.Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Graduate
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Wong, William Chi Wai. "A study of female sex workers in Hong Kong : moving beyond sexual health." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/25333.
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International research from the early 90s has convincingly shown that sex work per se is not a major vector in the spread of HIV in developed regions. Instead self-determination, autonomy and control are crucially important when it comes to HIV risks as well as the general health and well-being of the female sex workers (FSWs). A 30-minute face-to-face interview was conducted in 89 women by direct approach and snowballing through a well- established non-government organisation (NGO), followed by a focus group discussion drawn from the participants of the questionnaire in 2003-4. In 2004, an outreach Well-women clinic was set up at another NGO and using the rate of abnormal PAP smears identified and follow-up rates we wanted to assess whether it was a feasible option for early detections of pre-invasive cervical cancer in FSWs in Hong Kong. The FSWs surveyed scored significantly lower in physical, psychological, and environmental health domains in WHOQOL-BREF (HK) questionnaire when compared to non-sex workers of the same age group and sex in Hong Kong. After controlling for background characteristics, a number of factors that were inherent to the sex industry were significantly associated with poor psychological health and suicidality. In the supplementary focus group discussion some sex workers described the experience of being abused at work but at the same they could not seek any protection from .the police. While these FSWs’ perception of personal health was good, a considerable proportion had suffered from illnesses. Many street workers experienced difficulty in utilising health service in Hong Kong. When they did, it was mainly for acute problems. Affordable access to public health services was excluded and many found private services unaffordable due to the high price charged. It was common for these women to self-medicate, delay -seeking help, or travel back to China for treatment. This project identifies problems and difficulties faced by FSWs in Hong Kong and we use these findings to design a service that may improve their health. An outreach Well-women clinic seems a feasible option and an effective way in the early detection of cervical cancer for some FSWs.
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Cornish, Flora. "Constructing an actionable environment : collective action for HIV prevention among Kolkata sex workers." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2004. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/44/.
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How can marginalised communities organise a project to yield significant social change? This thesis theorises the resources which enable such community organisation to work. Participation, empowerment and conscientisation are understood, not through a logic of quantity which creates linear dimensions, but through a logic of concrete qualities. A pragmatist approach is taken, to define our constructs in terms of the actions being undertaken by participants, within specific, qualitatively distinctive domains. Activity theory is used to theorise participation as a process of collective activity, which is supported by shared rules, a division of labour and shared goals, and which is challenged by divergences of interest. A community case study of the Sonagachi Project, a successful HIV prevention project run by sex workers in Kolkata (India), is used to investigate participation. The case study is based on interviews and group discussions with sex workers and Project workers (sex workers employed by the Project), and observation of the daily activities of the Project. Sex workers relate to the Project as a source of support in solving their individual problems, gaining new powers, but not acting as collectivity members. Project workers are constituted as collectivity members, whose action interlocks with that of their colleagues, through participating in the politicising discourse of the Project, which states that sex workers should be granted “workers’ rights”, and through learning the rules of participation in meetings and the hierarchical division of labour. To be allowed to operate, the Project has to carefully adjust to local power relations, with madams, political parties, and funding agencies, in collaborative-adversarial relationships. In conclusion, the scope of participation is defined as producing significant, yet circumscribed, local change. To intervene in a fractured community is a political process in which the provision of new resources is both necessary and potentially divisive.
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Ruiz, Burga E. "Migration, identity and risk : the experiences of migrant male sex workers in London." Thesis, City, University of London, 2018. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/20270/.
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This dissertation explores the experiences of migration and sex work amongst migrant males operating in London. Twenty-five non-UK born males, who were working as independent internet-based escorts, contributed to this study. This investigation used convenience sampling selection to recruit participants from two sexual health programmes specialising in male sex workers in London. The data was compiled through in-depth interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. This study provides connections between the trajectories that participants reported towards the UK and the routes of entry in to sex work. It also delivers insights about their experiences operating as independent internet-based escorts in London. Finally, it contributes information about their risk perception and unprotected sex experiences in the context of commercial sex, which allows the contemplation of risky sexual behaviour from the perspective of an occupational risk.
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Gaynor, Andrea. "Contesting identity and status : a study of female commercial sex workers and citizenship." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2018. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/34745/.
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The extant research concerning commercial-sexwork is extensive, covering a diverse range of issues, such as physical and psychological risks; with on-street work regarded as persistently perilous. CSWs are marginalised from mainstream society by their work identity and associated behaviours which are incongruous with societal mores and norms for ideal citizens. Yet, apart from research related to geographical space and citizenship rights, and a few studies relating to sexual citizenship; the relationship between citizenship status/identity and commercial-sexwork is overlooked or included as an ‘add on’ to other concerns. This is regarded as an omission as those who do not conform to citizenship ideals are offered a “hand-up” or experience increased monitoring by the state in the form of law and policy directives. Importantly, for CSWs historical and contemporary legal and policy discourses (such as nuisance, victim, abuser, exiting and criminal) impact negatively upon their relationship with citizenship status compounding their marginalisation. Thus the overarching aim within this thesis is that it explores the citizenship journeys of CSWs utilising Lister’s (2003a) differentiated universalism citizenship concept. To achieve this aim there are four research questions; ‘How do CSWs experience citizenship?’, ‘How do participants express their understandings of citizenship?’, ‘To what extent are values and ethics a component of commercial-sexwork?’ and ‘How does a citizenship identity relate to a commercial-sexwork identity?’. A thematic analysis of data from five semi-structured interviews and 123 online forum correspondents found three overarching themes: ‘Understanding citizenship: Civil rights and duties, and social rights’; ‘Enacting citizenship: active citizenship and intimate citizenship and commercial sex work’ and ‘Exiting commercial-sexwork: becoming ‘normal’ citizens’. The main findings were that CSWs understand the conditional nature of citizenship; they pursue the right to work and the duties to pay tax and national insurance; evidence active citizenship behaviours, a community of practice and there is support for the notion that the disembodied nature of commercial-sexwork corresponds to work within the public arena - challenging the public/private binary. Yet, the state has appropriated these CSWs citizenship contributions without the corresponding benefits of citizenship status or identity. Further, via the quasi-legal status of commercial-sex work, the state has ignored or misrecognised key citizenship attributes such as agency in terms of their right to choose to work in this arena; such omissions amount to an injustice. This is compounded by the state’s exiting process which does little to advance CSWs status and identity but rather leads to a disciplined citizenship status. This thesis concludes that for transformative recognition, a more differentiated citizenship concept which recognises the similarity between CSWs and other females in terms of claims to rights, agency and justice but acknowledges their diversity is a necessity. Additionally, policy and legal discourses are ineffective in reducing CSWs marginalisation which impacts on their citizenship status. The latter will continue unless law and policy makers explicitly recognise CSWs citizenship contributions whilst considering how legal and policy discourse negatively construct the citizenship status of those who conform (victims or those who exit) and those who do not (nuisances or criminals).
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Dang, Thi Nhat Vinh Luechai Sringernyuang. "HIV preventive behaviour of street sex workers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam /." Abstract, 2004. http://mulinet3.li.mahidol.ac.th/thesis/2547/cd364/4537973.pdf.
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Bala, Shruti. "Assessment of Vulnerability of Female Sex Workers in Southeast Asia to HIV Infection." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/146206.
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HIV/AIDS is more than a health issue. It can affect anyone -- men, women, and children. It is a fundamental threat to development and places the political stability and economic security of developing countries at risk. An analysis of the HIV situation in Southeast Asia among high risk population, specifically sex workers, highlights that political leadership, active health systems, resources, and community level ownership are key elements in the fight against HIV. Sex workers, both formal and informal, are vulnerable to HIV infection due to multiple partners and inconsistent condom use, injecting drug use, migration and mobility, and social and economic factors. In the past two decades, interventions such as the 100% Condom Policy and empowerment and capacity building programs have reduced the vulnerability of HIV infection among sex workers. The increasing movement of sex workers between the countries in Southeast Asia has raised concerns regarding the transmission of HIV. It is necessary to address HIV infection among sex workers from a regional perspective, taking into account the political, social, and economic situation of respective countries. HIV/AIDS is not an issue restricted to the health center alone -- it requires a multi-sectorial approach that combines policy, education, empowerment, health, and gender equity.
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Budig, Michelle Jean. "Professionals, carpenters, and childcare workers: Sex differences in self-employment participation and earnings." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/279812.
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Despite the revitalization of non-agricultural self-employment among men, and especially among women, since 1970, little research has examined sex differences in self-employment participation and outcomes using national longitudinal probability samples. In addition, even less research has examined how these sex differences vary by occupational status. Using data from each census between 1940 and 1990, along with data from the 1979--1998 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this dissertation examines sex differences in the historical context of and trends in self-employment, factors that affect the likelihood of self-employment entrance, and earnings returns to self-employment. Analyses are run separately for non-professional and professional workers. Sex differences in the effects of human capital and labor supply, occupational and industrial sex segregation, job characteristics, family factors, and demographic characteristics on self-employment participation and earnings are explored. General theories of self-employment participation, based on the experiences of men, are tested to see if they can explain women's self-employment experiences as well. These theories include three versions of the disadvantaged worker theory--that workers with fewer employable skills, workers in bad jobs, and workers that face employer discrimination will turn to and benefit from self-employment. Two gendered theories that take women's structural position in the economy and the family are also examined. These theories argue that women whose family responsibilities conflict with work obligations and highly skilled women who are trying to circumvent employer discrimination will turn to and benefit from self-employment. Findings show support for the gender-neutral discouraged worker and the gendered work and family conflict theories. Workers in bad jobs are more likely to become self-employed, as are married women and mothers. Less support is found for the glass ceiling breaker theory. Female childless professionals are the only group of women who benefit equally from self-employment, compared with men. All other women face earnings penalties for being self-employed. However, the benefits of self-employment, such as lower child care costs, greater flexibility in work schedules, and control over the intensity of work may compensate for the self-employment penalty mothers incur.
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Seib, Charrlotte. "Health, well-being and sexual violence among female sex workers : a comparative study." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2007. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16398/1/Charlotte_Seib_Thesis.pdf.
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Background
- Prostitution has been documented in most societies, although the context in which it occurs may vary greatly. In Queensland, Australia, sex workers can operate from legal brothels or privately but all other sectors of the sex industry are prohibited. It is assumed that regulation of the sex industry through legalization leads to better health and social outcomes for sex workers and their clients. However, this assumption has rarely been subjected to empirical scrutiny.
Aims
- This research examined the occupational health and safety of female sex workers in Queensland and explored the relationship between legislative change, workplace violence, mental health and job satisfaction. Sex workers interviewed in 2003 (after legalisation) were compared to a prior study of this population conducted in 1991 (before official regulation of the sex industry). Further, in-depth analysis of the 2003 cohort compared sex workers employed in legal and illegal sectors, to assess violence, health status and job satisfaction.
Methods
- Cross-sectional, convenience sampling was used to collect data from female sex workers in 2003. This data was compared with data collected earlier (in 1991) and explored differences in the two samples using bivariate analysis. Similar recruitment strategies on both occasions were used to recruit women from all known sectors of the Queensland sex industry. The 1991 comparison sample (Boyle et al. 1997) included 200 women (aged between 16 and 46 years), and in 2003, 247 women (aged 18 to 57) participated. The 2003 sample included workers from legal brothels (n=102), private sole-operators (n=103) and illegal street-based sex workers (n=42). Using data collected in 2003, this study assessed the relationship between physical and mental health and job satisfaction and two main independent variables, i.e., current work sector and recent workplace violence. Bivariate analysis of physical health and independent variables showed no significant relationships and therefore further analysis was not undertaken. However, analysis of mental health and job satisfaction showed complex interactions between multiple variables and therefore linear modeling was performed to adjust for confounding.
Results
- Analysis of the 1991 and 2003 samples showed little apparent change over time in self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs). There were substantial changes over time in the types of sexual services being provided to clients, with the 2003 sample more likely to provide 'exotic' services. Violence experienced ever in their lifetime differed; in 1991, 29% reported having ever been raped compared with 42% in 2003 (p= <0.01). In 2003, 50% of illegal sex workers reported having ever been raped by a client compared with 12% of private sex workers and 3% of brothel-based sex workers (p=<0.01). Overall, the sex workers reported roughly equivalent job satisfaction to Australian women. A desire to leave the sex industry was most strongly correlated with reduced job satisfaction (p=<0.01). Satisfaction was also relatively low among those whose family was not aware of their sex work (p=<0.01). Similarly, the mental and physical health of this sample was comparable to age-matched women from the general population. Wanting to leave the sex industry was most strongly associated with poor mental health (p=<0.01), as was recent sexual or physical assault by a client (p=0.06) and the woman's main work sector (p=0.05). Illegal sex workers reported substantially lower mental health scores than their counterparts in legal sex work.
Conclusions
- Self-reported STI diagnosis was high in these samples but the prevalence appears not to have changed over time. Comparing 2003 to 1991, there were trends towards safer and more diverse sexual practices. It is likely the sex industry has 'professionalized' and now includes more sex workers providing specialist, 'exotic' services. This sample of female sex workers reported high rates of violence, with those working illegally at greatest risk. Analysis suggests a complex interaction between variables contributing to mental health and job satisfaction. In general, it appears that the majority of sex workers enjoyed at least as much job satisfaction as women working in other occupations. It also appears that this sample had equivalent mental health to women from the general population, although the sub-group of illegal workers generally had poorer health. Job satisfaction and the extent of workplace hazards (especially risk of violence) were also strongly associated with different sectors of the sex industry. It is probable that legalisation has benefited some (perhaps most) but there are health and safety concerns for those outside the legal framework. Legislative reform should focus on violence prevention, promoting reporting of violent events to police, and further exploration of the impact of legislation on the health of workers in the sex industry.
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Seib, Charrlotte. "Health, well-being and sexual violence among female sex workers : a comparative study." Queensland University of Technology, 2007. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16398/.
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Background: Prostitution has been documented in most societies, although the context in which it occurs may vary greatly. In Queensland, Australia, sex workers can operate from legal brothels or privately but all other sectors of the sex industry are prohibited. It is assumed that regulation of the sex industry through legalization leads to better health and social outcomes for sex workers and their clients. However, this assumption has rarely been subjected to empirical scrutiny. Aims: This research examined the occupational health and safety of female sex workers in Queensland and explored the relationship between legislative change, workplace violence, mental health and job satisfaction. Sex workers interviewed in 2003 (after legalisation) were compared to a prior study of this population conducted in 1991 (before official regulation of the sex industry). Further, in-depth analysis of the 2003 cohort compared sex workers employed in legal and illegal sectors, to assess violence, health status and job satisfaction. Methods: Cross-sectional, convenience sampling was used to collect data from female sex workers in 2003. This data was compared with data collected earlier (in 1991) and explored differences in the two samples using bivariate analysis. Similar recruitment strategies on both occasions were used to recruit women from all known sectors of the Queensland sex industry. The 1991 comparison sample (Boyle et al. 1997) included 200 women (aged between 16 and 46 years), and in 2003, 247 women (aged 18 to 57) participated. The 2003 sample included workers from legal brothels (n=102), private sole-operators (n=103) and illegal street-based sex workers (n=42). Using data collected in 2003, this study assessed the relationship between physical and mental health and job satisfaction and two main independent variables, i.e., current work sector and recent workplace violence. Bivariate analysis of physical health and independent variables showed no significant relationships and therefore further analysis was not undertaken. However, analysis of mental health and job satisfaction showed complex interactions between multiple variables and therefore linear modeling was performed to adjust for confounding. Results: Analysis of the 1991 and 2003 samples showed little apparent change over time in self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs). There were substantial changes over time in the types of sexual services being provided to clients, with the 2003 sample more likely to provide 'exotic' services. Violence experienced ever in their lifetime differed; in 1991, 29% reported having ever been raped compared with 42% in 2003 (p= <0.01). In 2003, 50% of illegal sex workers reported having ever been raped by a client compared with 12% of private sex workers and 3% of brothel-based sex workers (p=<0.01). Overall, the sex workers reported roughly equivalent job satisfaction to Australian women. A desire to leave the sex industry was most strongly correlated with reduced job satisfaction (p=<0.01). Satisfaction was also relatively low among those whose family was not aware of their sex work (p=<0.01). Similarly, the mental and physical health of this sample was comparable to age-matched women from the general population. Wanting to leave the sex industry was most strongly associated with poor mental health (p=<0.01), as was recent sexual or physical assault by a client (p=0.06) and the woman's main work sector (p=0.05). Illegal sex workers reported substantially lower mental health scores than their counterparts in legal sex work. Conclusions: Self-reported STI diagnosis was high in these samples but the prevalence appears not to have changed over time. Comparing 2003 to 1991, there were trends towards safer and more diverse sexual practices. It is likely the sex industry has 'professionalized' and now includes more sex workers providing specialist, 'exotic' services. This sample of female sex workers reported high rates of violence, with those working illegally at greatest risk. Analysis suggests a complex interaction between variables contributing to mental health and job satisfaction. In general, it appears that the majority of sex workers enjoyed at least as much job satisfaction as women working in other occupations. It also appears that this sample had equivalent mental health to women from the general population, although the sub-group of illegal workers generally had poorer health. Job satisfaction and the extent of workplace hazards (especially risk of violence) were also strongly associated with different sectors of the sex industry. It is probable that legalisation has benefited some (perhaps most) but there are health and safety concerns for those outside the legal framework. Legislative reform should focus on violence prevention, promoting reporting of violent events to police, and further exploration of the impact of legislation on the health of workers in the sex industry.
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Law, Tuulia. "Not a Sob Story: Transitioning Out of Sex Work." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/20095.
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Although it has been argued that indoor workers in fact make up the majority of the sex industry, most of the literature on the transition out of sex work has looked at street-based workers. This interview-based qualitative research project aims to fill that gap. As such, this thesis examines the trajectories, challenges and strategies of women who transitioned or are in the process of transitioning from criminalized indoor sex work (escorting, erotic massage and domination) to the mainstream labour market. Using Ebaugh’s role exit theory and Goffman’s conceptualization of stigma, intersectional feminist analysis and labour theory, I position the transition as a re-negotiation of self, involving conflicts in identity and class location. My findings suggest that the transition out of sex work is characterized by multiple, parallel work trajectories, wherein the women were successfully able to transfer skills they had acquired in sex work to the mainstream labour market.
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Byron, Reginald Anthony. "Disposable Workers: Race, Gender, and Firing Discrimination." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view.cgi?acc%5Fnum=osu1248449595.
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Sariola, Salla. "Sex workers in Chennai, India : negotiating gender and sexuality in the time of AIDS." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/3444.
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Risk of HIV and illness are the dominant context in which sex work is discussed in India and there is a lacuna of social scientific analysis of sex workers’ lives. HIV interventions negotiated between global actors such as UNAIDS, World Bank, USAID etc, the Indian government, state level AIDS prevention bodies, and the local NGOs, have constructed ‘sex work’ as an epidemiological category rather than treating it as a social concept. Based on fieldwork in HIV prevention NGOs, and participant observation and interviews with sex workers in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in August 2004-August 2005 to understand the realities of the sex workers lives, this thesis proposes research on sex workers, with specific reference to gender and sexuality. Theoretically the research seeks to answer the question: how to understand agency of vulnerable populations and how do sex workers use agency in oppressive environments? This thesis also engages with the feminist debate of selling sex as profession or as oppression of women’s rights. I argue that sex workers actively negotiate sex work and their lives with the means at their disposal. This is done not only in the context of negotiating the risks of sex work but also in the broader context of other needs, for example money, love and sexual desire. While sexuality is a taboo in India, the analysis contributes to the understanding of discourses of women’s sexuality and the sexual behaviour of sex workers in Chennai. While the women’s experiences are closely knit into the global nexus of the HIV industry, sex work comes across as a complicated knot of poverty, desire, women’s oppression, love, cooption, and motherhood.
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Karim, Yadgar. "Ottawa Street-based Sex Workers and the Criminal Justice System: Interactions Under the New Legal Regime." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/35710.
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In 2007, one current and two former sex workers, Amy Lebovitch, Terri-Jean Bedford and Valerie Scott launched a charter challenge, Bedford v Canada, arguing that the prostitution provisions criminalizing bawdy houses (section 210), living on the avails (section 212 (1)(j)) and communicating for the purposes of prostitution (section 213.1 (c)) violated their section 7 rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Six years later, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously to strike down all three challenged laws, leaving a one-year period to construct a new regime on prostitution. On December 6, 2014, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) came into effect, criminalizing, for the first time, prostitution in Canada and introducing a law that replicates many of the provisions of the previous regime.
This thesis uses semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis to examine the experiences of nine street-based sex workers in Ottawa, paying particular attention to experiences after the introduction of the new law. Drawing on the work of Mead & Blumer’s symbolic interactionism theory and Goffman’s concept of stigma the thesis examines how embedded stereotypes in legislation ‘play out’ in the lives of sex workers. I argue that the interactions of sex workers in Ottawa are conditioned by stereotypical assumptions which in turn lead to their broader discrimination and marginalization. This study concludes by finding that the first objective of PCEPA, to protect those who sell their own sexual services, has not been met; instead, PCEPA has resulted in street-based sex workers in Ottawa assuming more risk, and in turn, facing more danger while on the job.
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Yin, Zheng. "Determinants of consistent male condom use among female commercial sex workers in greater Manchester." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.511746.
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