The theoretical and often
political framework of sexual exploitation and sex work among women is widely
and enthusiastically debated among academic and legal scholars alike. The
majority of theoretical literature in this area focuses on the macro
perspective, while the micro-level perspective as to theory and causation
remains sparse. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the
philosophical, legal, and political perspectives pertaining to sexual
exploitation of women and girls while addressing the subsequent controversies
in the field.
…All four studies addressing entry into trading or survival
sex focus on victimization as a partial consequence of additional
vulnerabilities, which seem to support the neo-abolitionist perspective at the
macro level. Authors point to the studies' reduced options because of various
adversities and traumas, ranging from family backgrounds and abuse to poverty
and homelessness. Theories of addiction also play a role in impacting the
course of sexual exploitation and any choices a woman or girl may have. These studies
do not necessarily dispute that individuals trading sex had the choice to do
so, but rather suggest that they may not have made the same choices without
increased vulnerabilities from childhood or in their present situations.
Like entry perspectives, both exit models seem to
side with the abolitionist perspective in that they describe many reasons why a
woman would not be able to be able to fully make a decision on her own, free of
any other factors. Sex positivists would suggest that these theoretical
explanations for prostitution remove the possibility of full personal agency
and that a woman could make her own choice to do sex work. Neo-abolitionists
would argue that sex work is chosen only because of the complete lack of other
options and therefore can never truly be described as a “choice.” Even in these
smaller studies, macro-level theoretical perspectives and the debate between
the neo-abolitionists and the sex-positivists can certainly be found.
It is evident that the majority of the research and debate
is centered in the macro and structural theories of causation and remains
substantially underdeveloped in micro level theories at the individual and
relationship level. The heated debates of various feminist perspectives have
greatly influenced the divisions within the legal frameworks with which
countries of the world are governed. Even with the extensive theoretical and
legal writing at the macro level, the amount of empirically tested work remains
limited. With the high levels of responses from one legal or academic scholar
to another, often in rebuttal or defense of his/her own particular framework (Farley, 2005; Raphael & Shapiro, 2005; Weitzer, 2012; Wolken, 2004), no clear consensus is likely to
be reached any time soon. Micro level perspectives contribute to the
understanding of entry and exit processes for women and girls in sexual
exploitation or sex work, but contain very little outside empirical support.
Regardless of the contrasting body of works between macro and micro level
theories, theoretical advancements play an important role in understanding
sexual exploitation and sex work among females as well as the policies,
services, and interventions available to them in present day.
Full article at:
By:
Washington University in St. Louis George Warren Brown School of Social Work
J Sociol Soc Welf. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 Jan 28.
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