Contemporary Research on Sex Work

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.