Sex for Sale~Prostitution, Pornography and the Sex Industry Read Free Page B

contexts, and their studies document substantial variation in how sex work is organized and experienced by workers, clients, and managers. Together, these studies undermine some deep-rooted myths about prostitution and present a challenge to those writers and activists who embrace monolithic paradigms.
    Victimization, exploitation, choice, job satisfaction, self-esteem, and other dimensions should be treated as variables (not constants) that differ between types of sex work, geographical locations, and other structural and organiza-6

    SEX WORK: PARADIGMS AND POLICIES
    tional conditions. The chapters in Sex for Sale provide additional evidence in support of the polymorphous paradigm.
    T YP E S O F S E X W O R K
    A brief discussion of different types of sex work will illustrate the polymorphous approach.
    Prostitution
    Prostitutes vary tremendously in their reasons for entry, risk of violence, freedom to refuse clients and particular sex acts, dependence on and exploitation by third parties, experiences with the authorities, public visibility, number and type of clients, relationships with coworkers, and impact on the surrounding community. Table 1.1 presents a typology of prostitution.
    (Excluded from the table are borderline cases, such as lap dancing, “kept”
    women or men, geishas, etc.)
    Before proceeding to a description of the different types of prostitution, it is important to note that individual workers may cross one or more categories. For instance, independent call girls may also accept regular or occasional appointments from an escort agency, and massage parlor or brothel workers sometimes moonlight by meeting customers in private and keeping the earnings for themselves. It is rare, however, for workers to experience substantial upward or downward mobility. As a general rule “the level at which the woman begins work in the prostitution world determines her general position in the occupation for much of her career as a prostitute.
    Changing levels requires contacts and a new set of work techniques and attitudes.”37 Occasionally, an upper or middle-tier worker whose life situation changes (e.g., because of aging, drug addiction) is no longer able to work in that stratum and gravitates to the street. But transitioning from street work to the escort or call girl echelon is quite rare, because most street workers lack the education and skill set required for upscale indoor work. Likewise, very few call girls and brothel workers have previously worked on the streets. If a move takes place, it is usually lateral and of limited mobility, such as from the streets to a down-market peep show or from a massage parlor to an escort agency or from an escort agency to independent work.
    The most consequential division in Table 1.1 is that between street prostitution and the various indoor types. In street prostitution, the initial transaction occurs in a public place (a sidewalk, park, truck stop), while the 7

    Y
    ON
    IT
    T
    N
    C
    U
    A
    M
    P
    IM
    COM
    None
    None
    None, if discreet
    Little, if discreet
    Equivalent to
    impact of bar/
    casino
    Adverse
    Y
    icked against their will or
    LIC
    ILIT
    B
    B
    UP ISI
    ery low
    V
    None
    V
    Low
    Low
    Moderate
    High
    N

    O
    .
    T
    TI
    OF
    N
    A
    E
    IZ
    IOL
    M
    ery low
    ery low
    ery high
    RISK
    V
    TI
    Low
    Low to
    moderate
    V
    V
    Low to
    moderate
    V
    ICV

    IONT
    SE
    TA
    IRD
    ON
    H
    .
    RTI
    LOI
    T
    A
    P
    Y
    P
    X
    B
    E
    Low to none
    Moderate
    Moderate
    Moderate
    Low to
    moderate
    High
    s quality of life.
    OSTITUTI
    DE
    RG
    RICES
    A
    CH
    High
    High
    Moderate
    Moderate
    Low to
    moderate
    Low
    S OF PR
    PS
    ES
    ION
    N
    T
    CS OF TYPE
    A
    USIB LOC
    ISTIR
    TE
    Independent operator;
    private premises/hotels
    Escort agency;
    private premises/hotels
    Brothel
    Massage parlor
    Bar/casino contact;
    sex elsewhere
    Street contact; sex in cars,
    alleys, parks, etc.
    C
    CHARA
    ARLOR
    ALKER
    T
    LE 1.1
    able refers to female workers. The brothel and massage parlor workers depicted here do not include those who