SOC 112 Milestone Three

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Milestone Three Molly Strempfer Southern New Hampshire University SOC 112: Introduction to Sociology Suzanne Sutphin February 11, 2024

Creating Connections The nature of social stigma surrounding the profession of sex work is the leading cause of violence towards sex workers. Social stigma is defined as, “…an attribute that is deeply discrediting,” reducing the possessor of the stigmatized attribute “from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one (Goffman 1963 as cited in Grittner & Walsh, 2020, p.1654.)” Additionally, stigma is centered on maintaining social order. Sex work is defined as, “…the exchange of sexual activity for goods or money between two consenting adults. (Desyllas 2013; Sloan and Wahab 2000 as cited in Grittner & Walsh, 2020, p.1654.)” This can include, but is not limited to, prostitution, pornography, exotic dancing, sexual domination, and various internet services such as OnlyFans. The phenomenon of stigma leads to violence due to stigmatization devaluing and dehumanizing sex workers and creates a culture that normalizes violence against them, which shows the need for societal and political changes that encourages the elimination of social stigma that surrounds the occupation of sex work. Cultural The first cultural belief that many believe about sex work is that it is inherently harmful to all involved or that all sex workers are forced into this particular line of work. However, sex work actually exists on a continuum in which at one end of the continuum, sex workers choose sex work of their own free volition where they possess individual choice and control sexual exchanges. This end of the continuum reflects symbolic interactionist theory as sex workers and their customers have various understands of their own behaviors and justifying the exchange of sex and money as helping one another. Whereas on the other end of the continuum, an individual’s choices and control over their situation are nonexistent for the sex worker

(McCarthy, 2014 p. 3-5). This end of the continuum is representative of conflict theory as sex work reflects economic inequality in society. Feminist conflict theory states that sex work not only results from a women’s poverty, but also from a societies patriarchal culture that views men as the dominant figures in a heterosexual relationship. Another cultural belief is that sex workers should expect and accept violence against them as it is a risky line of work. One customer stated that, “When there is violence, it is mostly the prostitute’s fault. See, I am going to buy something. If I am satisfied with what I am buying, then why should I be violent? I will be violent when I am cheated, when I am offered a substandard service. … Sometimes violence is because the prostitute wants the client to use condoms. They force it on the client. He will naturally be disgruntled and there will be altercations.” – ( O’Connell & Davidson 2003, 58, as cited in Berth, 2018 ) However, social stigma is the actual cause of violence against sex workers. Grittner and Walsh (2020,) posit that existing power structures in society perpetuate the process of stigma and dictate the model of how people should behave, thereby preserving a hierarchy that places female sex workers in a marginalized position are also the structural roots of stigma against sex workers. Social Roles The role of the sex worker includes exchanging sexual services for goods or money and can take on many social roles depending on the type of sex work they perform. Several types of sex workers exist, one-fifth of these are known as “streetwalkers ( Social Problems: Continuity and Change , 2010/2015).” This type of sex worker usually finds their customers on the street and perform the exchange in the customer’s car, an alley, or cheap motel. This type of sex work is highly dangerous and many sex workers in this position find themselves deep in poverty and

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unable to gain any upward social mobility. These sex works also find themselves on the end of the sex work continuum where they seldom have choice in their profession. The remaining 80% of sex workers, known as “indoor sex workers” are call girls, escorts, brothel workers, exotic dancers, strippers, performers, dominatrixes, or cam girls and often represent the other end of the continuum ( Social Problems: Continuity and Change , 2010/2015). These sex workers still exchange sexual services for money, however, there is a greater sense of autonomy within these roles as they get to choose their clientele, charge more of their services, have some amount of discretion and privacy as well as protection in the form of distance of their clients or working for an agency with rules and regulations. For example, brothels in Nevada require regular screenings of sexually transmitted infections, thereby protecting their worker’s health ( Social Problems: Continuity and Change , 2010/2015). In fact, some sex workers within these roles even report a rise in self-esteem within the sex work profession as a result of owning their sexuality and agency. Sex work cannot occur unless a customer is willing to pay for their services. The costumer is another important role within this issue. This role includes paying a sex worker for their services. The reason a customer may pay for these services include a variety of reasons such as, the desire to be with someone with a certain physical appearance such as race, age, or body type; the thrill of being with a sex worker; the desire to have a sexual experience without an emotional connection; they may lack a sexual partner of their own or have specific, unconventional desires ( Social Problems: Continuity and Change , 2010/2015). This social role is representative of functionalist theory of the social issue. Functionalist theory states that sex work exists because it serves an important function in society, thereby fulfilling a costumers desire for companionship or other reasons for purchasing sex services.

Social Inequalities Sex workers experience a slew of social inequalities. Furthermore, social inequality can be illustrated by the explanation provided by Goldenberg, Thomas, Forbes and Baral (2021, p.1,) “…workers continue to face unacceptable health and human rights inequities, including an elevated burden of violence, HIV and sexually transmitted infections, unmet sexual and reproductive health needs, and gaps in appropriate primary and mental health care .” In addition, some of the more noteworthy inequalities are lack of access to healthy environments and relationships, education, economic stability, and quality healthcare. Lack of access to these services and resources are known as social determinants of health. Social and spatial isolation leads to unsafe work environments (Grittner & Walsh, 2020.) Criminalization of sex work leads to a cycle of poverty and lowers access to other job and education opportunities ( Beyond the Stereotypes: A Deep Dive into Sex Work , 2024.) Additionally, access to support services and quality healthcare is limited (Grittner & Walsh, 2020.) Another social inequality that sex workers experience often is lack of access to justice. For example, most members of society are able to seek justice for transgressions against them, however, when sex workers are violated, they are reluctant to come forward due to fear of criminalization, mockery, or victim blaming ( Beyond the Stereotypes: A Deep Dive into Sex Work , 2024.) Not only are sex workers discouraged from reporting crimes against them for these reasons, but they are also surveilled and harassed by the very institutions that are meant to protect them. For example, one study found that, “… abuse from police occurs within a sociolegal framework that situates the rescuing of sex workers from sexual

traumata as tantamount, but contradicts itself in the allotting of power and discretion to those who exploit this philosophy for purposes of abuse (Jay & Murphy-Stanley, 2022) .” Impact on Social Change Sex work impacts various social conditions two of which are public health and crime. “The simple fact is that we can’t end HIV without providing support to both sex workers and their sexual partners, and the key to that is removing stigma and providing social aid. The prevalence of HIV in sex workers is 12x that of the average population ( Beyond the Stereotypes: A Deep Dive into Sex Work , 2024.)” Legislation encourages the policing and criminalization of sex work. Police departments, state legislatures, and businesses, prioritize funding towards surveillance that are designed to increase the targeting of sex workers. Incarceration creates a cycle where sex workers lose access to essential services and opportunities for other employment ( Beyond the Stereotypes: A Deep Dive into Sex Work , 2024.)

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References Beyond the Stereotypes: A Deep Dive Into Sex Work . (2024). Human Rights Campaign. https://www.hrc.org/resources/beyond-the-stereotypes-a-deep-dive-into-sex-work Goldenberg, S., Thomas, R. M., Forbes, A., & Baral, S. (2021). SEX WORK, HEALTH, AND HUMAN RIGHTS : global inequities, challenges, and. Springer. Grittner, A., & Walsh, C. (2020). The Role of Social Stigma in the Lives of Female‐Identified Sex Workers: A Scoping Review . Sexuality & Culture. https://eds-p-ebscohost- com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=8&sid=95c30be1-2d16-41ab-9119- 38ece08b87cb%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d %3d#AN=147268396&db=hlh Jay, J., & Murphy-Stanley, A. (2022). The Paradox of Salvation: Police-perpetrated sexual violence against Sex Workers in the United States . https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1260&context=jj_etds McCarthy, B. (2014). Sex Work: A Comparative Study (pp. 1–35). University of California. https://escholarship.org/content/qt0gd9h8f0/qt0gd9h8f0.pdf Social problems: Continuity and Change . (2015). University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, Minneapolis. https://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/ (Original work published 2010) Swift, J. (2022, December 14). How to End Violence Against Sex Workers . Gender Policy Report. https://genderpolicyreport.umn.edu/how-to-end-violence-against-sex-workers/ Toubiana, M., & Ruebottom, T. (2022). Stigma Hierarchies: The Internal Dynamics of Stigmatization in the Sex Work Occupation. Administrative Science Quarterly , 67 (2), 515–552. https://doi.org/10.1177/00018392221075344

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