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Commercial Sex as Valuable? Policy Implications of Sex Workers’ Perspectives on the Contributions of Their Labor

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Abstract

Introduction

Regardless of the specific form of regulation, sex industries exist and even thrive around the world. Much of the related social policy debate centers on how to suppress or control the industries, operating from the perspective that commodified sex is minimally risky—potentially harmful to the individuals involved and to society—without considering that there may exist benefits that arise from sexual labor.

Methods

This article highlights data gathered from 78 qualitative interviews collected in O’Doherty’s (2015) and Bowen’s (2018) studies with sex workers. Each research project explored various aspects of providing sexualized labor in partially criminalized environments, including how sex workers perceive the role of sex work in society.

Results

Participants rejected representations of their work as primarily deviant, unworthy of legitimacy, or even something to abolish as a manifestation of gender-based violence. Instead, sex workers described various positive contributions of their work to their and their clients’ lives, as well as to larger society.

Conclusion

Unidimensional characterizations of the commercial sex industry fail to incorporate many facets of sexualized labor, resulting in harmful policies that sustain inequity for sex workers.

Policy Implications

Social policies regulating commodified sexual services may need to be reconsidered through a more nuanced lens—one that makes space for the opportunities, benefits, and value that sex workers identify, alongside findings related to challenges and risks associated with sex industry involvement. Implicated policies include criminalization, human and labor rights, sexual rights, and public health education.

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Availability of Data and Material

Data is unavailable; research instruments are available upon request from the authors.

Code Availability

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge all of those working in sexualized labor markets who have shared their wisdom with us and allowed us to share their stories.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Saywell Hall 10221, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A1S6, Canada

    Tamara O’Doherty

  2. National Ugly Mugs (NUM), Manchester, England

    Raven Bowen

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Each author was responsible for her own original study conception, design, data collection, analysis, and dissertation. Each author subsequently contributed equally to the re-analysis, preparation, and writing of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Tamara O’Doherty.

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O’Doherty, T., Bowen, R. Commercial Sex as Valuable? Policy Implications of Sex Workers’ Perspectives on the Contributions of Their Labor. Sex Res Soc Policy (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-023-00900-5

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