1st Edition

Demanding Sex: Critical Reflections on the Regulation of Prostitution

    216 Pages
    by Routledge

    216 Pages
    by Routledge

    Interrogating supply/demand from an inter- and multi-disciplinary perspective, this collection broadens engagement beyond the routine analysis of the locus of violence in prostitution and the validity of the prostitute's consent. A focus on the supply/demand dynamic brings into play a range of other societal, economic and psychological factors such as the social construction of sexuality, the viability of alternative choices for prostitutes and clients, and the impact of regulatory regimes on the provision of sexual services. The factors which underlie each component of the supply/demand dyad are also studied and an examination is made of their dynamic interrelation. The collection emphasizes the importance of rendering policy makers alert to the evidence emerging from empirical studies conducted in different fields of enquiry, in the hope of moving beyond polarity and politics at the local, national and international level.

    Biography

    Vanessa Munro is Professor of Law and Society at the School of Law, University of Leicester. Her research is framed by a feminist theoretical analysis, and is especially concerned with the law's engagement with the parameters of women's consent. She has published extensively on aspects of feminist legal and political theory. Dr Marina Della Giusta is Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Reading. Her research interests are in Development economics, in particular economics of trust and social capital, roles of institutions and social mechanisms in market access, prostitution, and gender. She has published widely in these and related areas.

    'This text cleverly deconstructs concepts such as exploitation and trafficking which have captured the political and moral imagination. Its first-rate legal analysis provides theoretical clarity regarding the concept of exploitation to expose the highly moralized and politicized context in which contested claims are made about these issues. It also explores the economic and social burden of punitive and coercive regulation in sex work to provide the analysis necessary for policy reform. This is not only one of the best feminist books on sex work policy I have read but also the best critical criminological edited collection on sex work there is and certainly the most articulate analysis of the current debate.' Belinda Brooks-Gordon, Birkbeck, University of London, UK '...[this] collection brings a range of perspectives tied together by a critical focus on the supply/demand dynamic in the regulation of sex work. It provides incisive criticism of current law and policy and a nuanced approach to the understanding of sex work, illustrating some progressive possibilities for the conceptualisation of sex work and sex work law and policy, both nationally and internationally.' Feminist Legal Studies 'In a field where the quality of scholarship is, at times, questionable, I must say that the quality of the papers in this collection is excellent...I would recommend this collection for the insight it provides into current regulatory frameworks in Europe and the UK. Policy-makers may also find the collection useful as most of the papers would assist in the development of sex industry policies. ' Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific