A critical perspective on difference: ‘the prostitute’ and women with prostitution experience

Abstract

This article discusses the continuities and discontinuities between 'the prostitute' as representation(s) and prostitution as lived experience(s). Women (men, and transgendered) involved in prostitution are subjected to othering processes, processes that stigmatize, disempower and potentially silence them as Others. Representations of 'prostitutes' in academic discourse, popular discourse and in the media constructs 'the prostitute' as disparately as: 'victim of patriarchy', 'economic entrepreneur', 'undeserving victim', 'unfit mother', 'commodity', 'dirty and sexually indiscriminatory' etc. Reductionist and stigmatizing representations of 'prostitutes' have both symbolical and material consequences for women with prostitution experience. I argue that one of the main challenges for social work research on prostitution is to counter rather than to participate in othering processes. Through othering processes, women with prostitution experience are constructed as different from other women. With an and/both approach to difference, differences are considered to be fluid, shifting and discursive as well as enduring and embodied. Women with prostitution experience are not only constructed as 'different' but also consequently have 'different' experiences. Doing research that counters rather than participates in othering processes implies both deconstructing difference and making visible the effects of constructed difference.

Perceptions of provider power among sex buyers

“…This argument relies on an oversimplified conception of sex work that minimizes the experiences of sex workers who decide to sell sex amid other options and participate for a variety of different reasons. These differing orientations become less abstract when considering recent qualitative research on sex workers, which shows even severely disadvantaged sex workers to be active agents who make decisions about whether and how to practice (Ditmore, 2014; Hulusjö, 2013).…”

“…Instead, we argue that research on prostitution in general, and customers in particular, should recognize the multiplicity of factors that shape the relative power of buyers and providers, rather than implying or endorsing an “essentialist” perspective (Weitzer, 2009). Hulusjö (citing Chambon et al., 1999) argues that “agents are neither as autonomous in exercising their will as liberalism suggests, nor are their actions entirely determined and constrained by wider structures as suggested in structural thinking” (Hulusjö, 2013: 155). As Giddens explains, there are two faces of power: the “capability of actors to enact decisions which they favour on the one hand, and the ‘mobilization of bias’ that is built into institutions on the other” (Giddens, 1984: 15).…”

“…Issues that influence the degree to which prostitution is consensual affect the relative power of the buyer and provider. One of the fundamental challenges in conceptualizing power in paid sexual exchanges is that these ephemeral transactions are affected simultaneously by the larger cultural and structural conditions in which the transactions take place, the characteristics of the individuals participating in the exchanges, and aspects of the relationship between the two persons, which may be either transitory or may develop over time (Hulusjö, 2013; Milrod and Weitzer, 2012; Monto, 2004; O'Connell Davidson, 1998). The analysis of the cultural and structural contexts that shape paid sexual exchanges is further complicated by the fact that such contexts are numerous, intersecting rather than discrete, and extend through contexts that span multiple nation-states (Giddens, 1992).…”

Business Women and Exit Programs

“…Purchasers of sexual services were criminalized in Sweden in 1999, in Finland in 2007, and in Norway in 2008(Crowhurst et al, 2012Tveit & Skilbrei, 2008). In Denmark, prohibitionists and women's liberation organizations (represented by the Initiative of 8th March, for instance) long argued for this move, pointing to the potentially negative long-term effects of prostitution on the women involved (Hulusjö, 2013). While sex worker organizations (as represented in the Forum for Sexual Policies, for instance) counter that this perspective devalues female agency, the prohibitionist perspective continues to dominate the debate (Bjønness, 2012).…”

Peran Keluarga pada Perkembangan Moral Siswa SD di Lingkungan Eks Lokalisasi

“…Penggunaan istilah lokalisasi sudah memelintir hakikat makna istilah tersebut. Prostitusi merupakan suatu hal yang sulit untuk didefinisikan dari segi kelebihan atau manfaat dari segi praktik maupun ideologi (Hulusjo, 2013). Secara umum, prostitusi merupakan sesuatu yang berhubungan dengan seks untuk uang atau pekerjaan dengan menawarkan jasa pelayanan seksual.…”