Academic literature on the topic 'Sex work'

This thesis uses the work of Michel Foucault to analyse the three main knowledges around sex at work - scientific modernism, liberal feminist sexual harassment knowledge and re-eroticization knowledge. The main argument is that such knowledges can be identified as generating subjectifying power effects; that is to say. this thesis argues that modern human subjects are produced through the operations of prevailing power/ knowledge regimes such as those around sex at work. It is further suggested that the subject positions which these knowledges generate can, in line with Foucault's argument that 'everything is dangerous', be identified to have particular implications. A program of semi-structured interviews has been completed in a university and in a financial services company in order to assess how powerful each knowledge around sex at work has been with regard to subjects in the respondent group. Resistances to the knowledges were also catalogued. Acknowledgement is also made where appropriate of power effects of and resistances to these knowledges with regard to subjects in the wider social. Importantly, analysis is also offered of the implications of the subject positions identified; that is to say, of what it might mean for these men and women to understand themselves in these ways. This thesis therefore conforms to Foucault's recommendation that intellectual work should be used to subvert claims to truth and to reveal the effects of power so that subjects may begin the 'critical ontology' of themselves. This project of self rests on an awareness on the part of individual subjects that what that they know of themselves is nothing more, and nothing less, than the power effects of particular knowledges. Foucault suggests that this kind of relationship with self allows for a certain degree of self-fashioning - that we can come to be able to choose the ways in which we know ourselves. The concluding part of the thesis addresses the criticisms that have been made of this vision of a new form of subjectivity and, in so doing, clarifies the ethicopolitical contribution of the kind of Foucauldian analysis that has been attempted here.

This thesis comprises 12 publications from two decades of research into sex work and health. The papers report on the risks and determinants of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) in women selling sex in London. The research combined clinical, epidemiological and anthropological methods in a programme that aimed to inform policies and interventions to reduce STI and HIV risks and improve the health and well-being of sex workers. In the accompanying commentary, chapter 1 places the papers in a broad narrative by describing the context of the work which began with the early days of the AIDS epidemic and continued through new challenges including the impact of globalisation and migration. Chapter 2 is a critical review of the major findings in relation to HIV and STI risk, and includes new tables summarising estimates of effect sizes from across the studies. I then discuss major risk factors, placing the findings in the context of the wider literature, and suggest a conceptual framework linking the determinants. Chapter 3 provides a more detailed description of the ways that different research methods were used to test specific hypotheses. In particular, I show how qualitative work uncovers the importance of structural factors, such as the organisation of flats and the distribution and consumption of drugs, in determining individual and group level behaviours and risks. I provide a brief critique of the use of mixed methods in biomedical research, and stress the importance of grounding both qualitative and quantitative work in appropriate theoretical frameworks. Chapter 4 summarises the thesis and re-asserts the need for a model of causation that incorporates social, economic, behavioural and structural factors. The development of interventions requires a synthesis of evidence from many disciplines, together with the perspective of participants whose agency will be the key to successful implementation.

This thesis is an exploration of the coping strategies used by women involved in sex work, to manage the different risks inherent in the field. The literature review considers the ways in which women seek to manage a stigmatised identity in order to promote their own psychological wellbeing. The research paper explores the reasons women remain in street based sex work, and, using grounded theory, seeks to understand how psychological and social factors work to both promote resilience and maintain involvement. Finally, the critical appraisal reflects on the methodological approaches necessary to conduct a research project with street-based sex workers, and explores the management of risk in this context.

Social workers who choose to work in the field of child welfare will almost unavoidably be exposed to sexual trauma. This requires that social workers are prepared to understand and work with those who have been sexually abused, as well as the perpetrators of sex crimes. The purpose of this study was to explore social work students’ perceptions of sex offenders since it is anticipated that they will work with the sex offender population at some point in their careers. Exploring this topic could help future social workers gain valuable knowledge related to recognizing barriers that may exist when working with sex offenders. To study social work students’ perceptions of sex offenders, quantitative data were collected using a fifty item online survey instrument that was distributed via the Qualtrics website. In addition, t-tests, ANOVA, and Chi-square analysis were conducted using the SPSS analytical software program version 21. The findings of this study suggest that there were no significant differences between participants’ gender regarding their perceptions of sex offenders. Furthermore, the study found that overall, social work students’ perceptions are that there are more male sex offenders than female and juvenile sex offenders. The findings of this study suggest that further research is needed in order to explore social work practitioners’ perceptions of sex offenders since there is a likelihood that social works will work with this population at some point in their careers.

The increased use of technology to purchase goods and services has changed the landscape of how we advertise, buy and sell commodities. This has contributed to an increase in off-street sex work advertised on the Internet. It is estimated that 80% of sex work in British Columbia occurs off street and the use of web advertising for services has grown exponentially (O’Doherty, 2011). While street-based sex work has been well studied, and there is a significant and growing body of knowledge concerning off-street sex work, communications in advertising sex work online is an emerging field of inquiry. There have been few studies that have examined these communications, and most have been population specific. In this study, 75 online advertisements for sex work in Vancouver, British Columbia were compared to determine what information was regularly communicated and how this information differed between men, women and transgender people using this medium to conduct business. Content analysis was employed as a method to extract the data from the websites in a systemized, categorical way and the results were analyzed to compare differences between groups, focusing on communications, health, safety, and business information. The findings suggest that while there are similarities between men, women and transgender people advertising sex work online, there are important differences that require further study to determine if they have impacted the health and safety of sex workers. This study summarizes what is being communicated in online advertisements of sex workers and contributes to understandings about how sex workers are communicating about health, safety and business to their clients. These insights can assist health care providers and policy makers in creating interventions to improve health and safety for sex workers and their clients.<br>Applied Science, Faculty of<br>Nursing, School of<br>Graduate