'I dodged the stigma bullet': Canadian sex workers' situated responses to occupational stigma.

Culture, Health & Sexuality
Cecilia BenoitDouglas Magnuson

Abstract

Stigma attached to sex workers' occupation, sometimes disparagingly referred to as 'prostitution' or 'whore' stigma, is a fundamental challenge for people in sex work. Yet sex workers are not powerless when confronting occupational stigma. We employed thematic analysis with data from in-person interviews conducted in 2012-13 with a diverse sample of 218 adult sex workers in Canada. Our participants perceived a high degree of occupational stigma, which they responded to and managed using four main strategies. First, some participants internalised negative discourses about their sex work and accepted their discredited status. Second, many controlled access to information about themselves, consciously keeping knowledge of their occupation from most people while sharing it with trusted others. Third, some participants rejected society's negative view of their occupation. Finally, some attempted to reduce the personal impact of stigma by reframing sex work to emphasise its positive and empowering elements. Participants often strategically responded to stigma contingent on the situated contexts of their work and personal life. We discuss these findings in relation to the existing knowledge base about stigma attached to sex workers' o...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 8, 2019·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Cecilia BenoitDoug Magnuson
Sep 9, 2020·Culture, Health & Sexuality·Ann De ShalitAdrian Guta
Oct 16, 2020·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Randi SingerAlicia Matthews
Jun 29, 2021·Sexuality Research & Social Policy : Journal of NSRC : SR & SP·Lynzi Armstrong
Aug 18, 2021·Global Public Health·Nicole Herpai On Behalf Of The Dynamics Study Team
Sep 3, 2021·Journal of Child Sexual Abuse·Nadine LanctotCatherine Laurier
Nov 24, 2021·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Cecilia Benoit, Róisín Unsworth

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