1st Edition

Contemporary Research on Sex Work

By Jeffrey T. Parsons Copyright 2006
    238 Pages
    by Routledge

    238 Pages
    by Routledge

    Gain important insight and a broader perspective on where, why, and how sex workers conduct their business

    For years, the focus of sex work research has been on street-based male and female sex workers and the HIV-related risks they pose to their clients. Contemporary Research on Sex Work moves beyond the basic association between sex work and unprotected sex to a fuller description of the varied facets of the industry while still pursuing a better understanding of HIV risk among those working the streets. The diverse approaches in this unique book include targeted sampling, qualitative and quantitative interviews, ethnographic interviews with key informants, using sex workers as recruiters, and quasi-experimental intervention designs.

    Contemporary Research on Sex Work dispels the notion that all sex workers are prostitutes working the streets, highlighting instead various aspects of sex work in terms of gender, venue, and context. Social scientists from a variety of disciplines present research collected from across the United States, Cambodia, the Philippines, Argentina, and Canada that reflects the efforts to explore interventions and programs designed to improve the social and physical lives of male, female, and transgender sex workers—and their clients. The book examines how different circumstances determine different issues of power, control, health, social functioning, mental health, and HIV/STI risk each sex worker faces.

    Contemporary Research on Sex Work examines:

    • condom use by transgender female sex workers
    • the association between mental health issues and unprotected sex
    • the influence of structural intervention in reducing biologically sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
    • the “hidden” population of women who solicit clients in private locations off the street
    • stigma resistance among male sex workers in Canada
    • the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and subsequent involvement in sex work
    • health services among male sex workers in Argentina
    • how the intersection between race/ethnicity affects female sex workers in Los Angeles
    • how sex workers deal with the negativity that surrounds their profession
    • job-related risk and safety for sex workers in Canada
    • legal concerns and policy issues
    • and much more!

    Contemporary Research on Sex Work is your guide to the next generation of sex work research, highlighting the need to understand sex work as work. The book is an essential resource for researchers in the fields of sex research, sex work, and HIV/AIDS prevention, and for clinicians who work with those involved in the industry.

    • Researching the World’s Oldest Profession: Introduction (Jeffrey T. Parsons)
    • HIV Seroprevalence and Risk Behaviors Among Transgendered Women Who Exchange Sex in Comparison with Those Who Do Not (Cathy J. Reback, Emilia L. Lombardi,
      Paul A. Simon, Douglas M. Frye)
    • The Connections of Mental Health Problems, Violent Life Experiences, and the Social Milieu of the “Stroll” with the HIV Risk Behaviors of Female Street Sex Workers (Hilary L. Surratt, Steven P. Kurtz, Jason C. Weaver, and James A. Inciardi)
    • Impact of Social and Structural Influence Interventions on Condom Use and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Establishment-Based Female Bar Workers in the Philippines (Donald E. Morisky, Chi Chiao, Judith A. Stein, and Robert Malow)
    • How Does a “Risk Group” Perceive Risk? Voices of Vietnamese Sex Workers in Cambodia (Joanna Busza,)
    • Female Sex Trade Workers, Condoms, and the Public-Private Divide (Lois A. Jackson, Barbara Sowinski, Carolyn Bennett, and Devota Ryan)
    • Racial and Ethnic Segmentation of Female Prostitution in Los Angeles County (Janet Lever, David E. Kanouse, and Sandra H. Berry)
    • Childhood Sexual Abuse as a Risk Factor for Subsequent Involvement in Sex Work: A Review of Empirical Findings (Evelyn Abramovich)
    • Managing Risk and Safety on the Job: The Experiences of Canadian Sex Workers (Jacqueline Lewis, Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale, Frances Shaver, and Heather Schramm)
    • Strategies of Stigma Resistance Among Canadian Gay-Identified Sex Workers (Todd G. Morrison and Bruce W. Whitehead)
    • Self-Reported Use of Health Services, Contact with Police and Views About Sex Work
      Organizations Among Male Sex Workers in Cordoba, Argentina (Carlos E. Disogra, Rodrigo Mariño, and Victor Minichiello)
    • Exploring Commercial Sex Encounters in an Urban Community Sample of Gay and Bisexual Men: A Preliminary Report (Juline A. Koken, Jeffrey T. Parsons, Joseph Severino, and David S. Bimbi)
    • Index
    • Reference Notes Included

    Biography

    Jeffrey T. Parsons