Streets, Drugs, and the Economy of Sex in the Age of AIDS

Abstract

Drug addicted women whose economic and social base is urban streets face limited options for income generation and multiple dangers of predation, assault, arrest, and illness. Exchanging sex for money or drugs offers one important source of income in this context. Yet the legal, social, and safety risks associated with these exchanges reduce the likelihood of regular safer sex practices during these encounters, thereby increasing the risk of HIV infection. Such conditions lead women engaged in sexual exchanges for money to varied and complex responses influenced by multiple and often contradictory pressures, both personal and contextual. Street-recruited women drug users in an AIDS prevention program in Hart-ford, Connecticut reported a range of condom use when engaging in sex for money exchanges. This paper explores their differences by ethnicity, economic resources, and drug use, and analyzes these and other factors that impact on street risks through sexual income generation. Surveys and in-depth interviews with drug-addicted women sex workers describe their various approaches to addressing multiple risks on the streets and suggest significant effort by women in these contexts to avoid the many risks, including HIV infection.

Opportunities for Woman-Initiated HIV Prevention Methods among Female Sex Workers in Southern China

“…These include their own or their partner's dislike of male condoms or discomfort using them, desire for intimacy signified by non-use of condoms, and the need for more income. These are typical reasons for unprotected sex found in numerous other studies (Bowleg, Lucas, & Tschann, 2004;Lau et al, 2002;Pulerwitz, Amaro, DeJong, Gortmaker, & Rudd, 2002;Weeks, Grier, Romero-Daza, Puglisi-Vasquez, & Singer, 1998). Women's inconsistent ability or desire to use male condoms with their paying or primary partners results in much exposure to risk.…”

Moving Parts and Balancing Acts: Building and Maintaining a Collaborative Community-Based Research Partnership in Detroit

“…It followed that interventions, to succeed, must intervene at more than one level if they were to achieve lasting success. Both sex work and substance abuse may be viewed from an economic perspective as phenomena representing rational decisions, made by individuals operating within severely constrained circumstances (Goldstein, 1979;Goldman, 1981;Romero-Daza, Weeks & Singer, 1998;Hanson, Lopez-Iftikhar, Alegria et al, 2002;Maher, 1996;Maher & Daly 1996;Bretteville-Jensen & Sutton, 1996). Research has shown that women who engage in street sex work are more likely to have suffered from child sexual abuse (Widom & Kuhns, 1996;McClanahan et al, 1999), to demonstrate signs of psychological distress (Young, Boyd and Hubbell 2000), and to experience stigmatization and poor overall health (Baker, Wilson, & Winebarger, 2004;Jeal & Salisbury, 2004).…”

The Relationship of Sexual Dyad and Personal Network Characteristics and Individual Attributes to Unprotected Sex Among Young Injecting Drug Users

“…For example, exchanging sex for money may be a way for women to obtain economic resources for their drug addiction (Weeks et al 1998). Cocaine and other stimulant injection may increase sexual risk, probably due to increased sexual activity and more partners (Maranda et al 2004;Somlai et al 2003).…”