Virtue, Shame, and Choice: Perspectives of Sex Work Among Adolescents in Variously Globalized Thai Communities

Abstract

Although taboo given the traditional Thai value of female sexual conservatism, sex work is a practice for which Thailand has gained international attention. As in other rapidly globalizing contexts, however, Thai youth are increasingly exposed to global values of gender equality, self-fulfillment, and personal choice. This may, in turn, alter youth perspectives of this taboo yet pervasive practice. To understand how Thai youth negotiate local and global values when considering sex work, this study examined the moral evaluations and moral reasoning of adolescents residing in variously globalized communities. Forty participants (20 adolescents in each a more and a less globalized Thai setting) participated in interviews in which they discussed their perspectives of sex work. Quantitative analysis of moral evaluations revealed that rural and urban adolescents alike deemed sex work as mostly morally wrong. Qualitative analysis of moral reasoning revealed that both participant groups prioritized Thai values of sexual purity for women, shame avoidance, and reputation maintenance. Yet distinct values were also endorsed across participant groups. Rural adolescents centered local values (e.g., relational choice, women’s dignity, Buddhist divinity) and urban adolescents drew heavily from global values (e.g., autonomous choice, romantic love, international reputation) when reasoning about the morality and immorality of sex work. Findings point to the manner in which contextual realities shape—and reshape—cultural values in this rapidly globalizing nation.

Poverty, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality Among Gay Men and Transgender Women Sex Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Phuket, Thailand

“…As the tourism demand has increased rapidly and boosted the growth of Thailand’s tourism industry, many poor transgender women and gay men have moved and worked in the sex industry as their only feasible option (Davis et al, 2019 ; Ocha, 2020 ; Statham & Scuzzarello, 2021 ). Despite being illegal, the sex industry in Thailand employs about 200,000 to more than 1 million sex workers (Amendral, 2021, as cited in McKenzie et al, 2021 ), which is undoubtedly regarded to be a significant underestimation. Thailand’s GDP amounted to 401.27 billion US dollars in 2015 (Statista, 2022 ) and the Havocscope’s research report ( 2015 ) showed that the sex industry generated 6.4 billion US dollars in 2015, accounting for almost 1.6% of Thailand’s total GDP.…”