It may be surprising to you that I am ambivalent about sex work. For a long time, I was adamant that sex work should be legalized. And in many ways, I still think it should be. The idea of stigma-free consumption of sex – in which (mostly) women can do as they please with their bodies, and (mostly) men can purchase what they need or desire – is seductive. However, as a white, economically and educationally privileged woman, I would believe that. A choice to enter into sex work, for me, is just that – a choice. I can feel empowered in that choice, and similarly choose to quit whenever I damn well please because I have other options available to me. So, of course I feel that I should be allowed to use my body to make money, should I choose to do so.
Unfortunately, sex work, for the majority of sex workers, is rife with abuse, coercion, manipulation, and exploitation of females and their bodies. Legalizing comes with its own array of complications. “In New Zealand, where prostitution was decriminalized in 2003, young women in brothels [have said] that men now demand more than ever for less than ever. And because the trade is socially sanctioned, there is no incentive for the government to provide exit strategies for those who want to get out of it.”
While one might think that legalization would lead to safer practices, it actually may do the opposite. Sure, there is mandatory testing – for the female workers, not the male buyers. “In one study, 47% of women in U.S. prostitution stated that men expected sex without a condom; 73% reported that men offered to pay more for sex without a condom; and 45% of women said that men became abusive if they insisted that men use condoms” (Raymond et al, 2001, p. 72). These numbers are, frankly, frightening.
If we are not benefitting the actual women who are selling their bodies, then who profits from legalization? Moran argues that “prostitution cannot be disentangled from coercion”, and perhaps that is true. In my limited experience, the exchange of money complicates understandings of consent and creates a power disparity that is not ideal in any sexual exchange. However, I still fully believe that a woman who wholeheartedly wants to enter into the sex industry should be allowed to do so without repercussion – sex work is a victimless crime, and there is nothing inherently “wrong” about purchasing sex.
