Prostitución y feminismo(s). Disputas por el reconocimiento en los Encuentros Nacionales de Mujeres (Argentina, 1986-2017)

Abstract

Resumen La “prostitución” es una de las grandes preocupaciones del feminismo, y la postura en relación a la misma ha polarizado a las feministas como casi ninguna otra cuestión. En Argentina, este debate tuvo como uno de sus primeros escenarios al Encuentro Nacional de Mujeres (ENM), que se realiza todos los años desde 1986, nucleando a miles de mujeres, algunas de las cuales se identifican en distintos grados con el feminismo -esto varía de año a año- y que por tres días discuten las problemáticas que consideran relevantes para el movimiento de mujeres. En este trabajo, estudio los cambios y las continuidades en los debates sobre “prostitución” en el ENM, prestando atención a cómo los mismos se relacionan, tanto con la mutación en las preocupaciones públicas nacionales, como con la variación de las reivindicaciones de los feminismos. Reflexiono sobre qué perspectivas sobre el sexo comercial han tenido (o no) lugar y qué feminidades se han construido como legítimas para reclamar derechos. El corpus de fuentes está compuesto por las nóminas de talleres y los libros de conclusiones de los 32º ENM, así como por los debates que han circulado en las redes sociales a raíz del pedido de la Asociación de Mujeres Meretrices de la Argentina por reincorporar el taller “Mujer y trabajo sexual” en el 31° ENM (2016); y por registros etnográficos de cuatro talleres sobre “prostitución” en los cuales he participado.

Quality of life from women’s perspective in the exercise of sex work: a study of social representations

“…Even constituting a minority, they verbalized affective-emotional lexicons, such as sadness, stress and anxiety, revealing that happiness is a feeling somewhat distant from the reality experienced by them. Such representations can be verified in the results of other studies, which associated the conditions of the profession and life of many of them with physical and psychological abuse and submission to men ( 25 - 26 ) .…”

“…Thus, several professionals reported that the act of performing the sexual service is linked to the difficulties they face on a daily basis, namely: economic, family, integration into the formal job market, few years of study and affective aspects. This issue is reaffirmed by a study carried out in Iran, which reported the deficit of opportunities distributed by state power, resulting in a state of extreme poverty, being a preponderant factor for the search for subsistence with sex work (8,25,27) .…”

“…By revealing, in the representations, faith in a superior being (God) as a subjective instrument to achieve balance, well-being and health, the importance that belief in a deity has for the QoL of this group of women is demonstrated ( 11 ) . People who daily experience marginality and experience intersectional vulnerabilities, enhanced by the absence of State support, resort to this subterfuge to face daily obstacles, which make the practice of sexual service difficult ( 4 , 7 , 25 - 26 , 30 ) . Previous studies carried out in Brazil, such as in Belo Horizonte, in the Alto Sertão Produtivo Baiano , as well as in the Amazonian border with Colombia and Peru, show the importance of belief in God as a means to balance emotions and maintain mental health ( 2 , 26 , 29 ) .…”

“…Determining the time and sexual service to be offered, as well as agreement regarding the stipulated value, leads to disruption of historical-cultural constructs demarcated for women, because, even if many are exploited, many others are directly responsible for the work performed (1)(2)(3)5) . It is with this income that many obtain financial independence, comfort, acquisition of material goods, care practices to achieve a pleasant appearance for customers and promotion of a healthy and dignified life for themselves and their families (2,8,25) .…”

Qualidade vida na perspectiva de mulheres no exercício do trabalho sexual: estudo de representações sociais

“…Mesmo constituindo uma minoria, verbalizaram léxicos afetivos--emocionais, como tristeza, estresse e ansiedade, revelando que a felicidade é um sentimento um tanto longíquo da realidade vivenciada por elas. Tais representações podem ser verificadas em resultados de outros estudos, que associaram as condições da profissão e da vida de muitas delas ao abuso físico, psicológico e à submissão aos homens (25)(26) .…”