Sex Work and Prostitution

Abstract

Sex work and prostitution are terms that are often used interchangeably to refer to the exchange of sexual labor for money, other material items, or access to social resources. These exchanges may be independently generated, facilitated through a third party, or leveraged by industry stakeholders. Sex work and prostitution are as old as human society itself, and although often associated with women and girls, these systems of exchange involve people of all ages, genders, races, abilities, and sexual orientations. Typically considered to occur primarily in marginalized urban spaces or among underprivileged cultural groups, in reality sex work and prostitution take place everywhere: large cities, rural hamlets, suburban cul-de-sacs, institutional spaces (i.e., schools, prisons, hospitals, government buildings), and among people from every social echelon. There are a myriad of types, including indoor, specialty, migrant, survival, online, and different kinds of work that is sexualized, such as the production and sale of sex toys. Although street-based sex work is often used to depict prostitution in media and academic stories, it only constitutes 10-15% of the total sex work participation globally.

Żeglując po świecie romańskim. Studia filologiczne

“…SegundoOrchard [2020] e apesar de concentrar em si muita atenção, distorcendo as proporções, a prostituição de rua constitui apenas 10-15% do trabalho sexual globalmente.…”