A contemporary definition of career would necessarily include the concept of choice and commitment. Although some purveyors of victimless crimes may convince themselves that drug dealing or prostitution is a rewarding career, the threat of poverty remains a coercive and driving force behind the decision to pursue or remain in such occupations. This essay examines this issue from multiple viewpoints, including prostitutes.
¶ … Career in Prostitution
'CHOOSING' A CAREER IN PROSTITUTION
Criminality, Sex, and Work
'Choosing' a Career in Prostitution
'Choosing' a Career in Prostitution
The concept of 'career' has been defined by economists as "… the means through which human capital is accrued through experience and education" (Murphy and Venkatesh, 2006, p. 132). Sociologists on the other hand, propose that the definition of 'career' also includes nurturing a positive social role. Mainstream America would probably define 'career' using both these concepts, in addition to others. For example, most Americans would probably include a significant degree of choice and commitment to a specific type of occupation.
While most Americans would probably not imagine crime as a possible career choice, many of the same core concepts of 'career' seem to be present when speaking of drug dealers, thieves, and prostitutes, as they are depicted in the HBO television series The Wire (Simon, 2002-2008). On the other hand, the concept of 'choosing' a career in crime seems ludicrous when most residents of impoverished neighborhoods are simply trying to survive by any means possible.
This essay will discuss the primary elements of a career, including education, training, positive social contribution, commitment, and choice, as they may apply to the sex worker industry. I argue that regardless of how a sex worker may perceive their profession, the dominant social and psychological forces that arise from poverty, or its threat, precludes defining prostitution as a career.
Prostitution as a Career Choice
When imaging a typical American high school or college student debating their career choices, rarely does coercion enter the picture. Parents may play a decisive, if not coercive role, but the actual choice is still viewed as a personal decision by the student. Poverty could motivate inner city students to succeed academically and thus escape their parents fate, but for many the path out of poverty lies elsewhere.
The immediate threat of poverty will impel many students and young adults from poorer neighborhoods to turn to crime for relief. Interestingly, the social network of the 'student' still plays an influential role. The women who enter the sex trade do so primarily as a result of suggestions by someone they are close to, whether boyfriend, husband, family member, or friend (Murphy and Venkatesh, 2006, p. 134). The primary motivations for following through with this advice are financial and improved stability and security.
The other career elements, such as education, training, positive social contribution, and commitment, seems absent from the survivalist reasoning behind becoming a sex worker. Most prostitutes working the streets do so with an attitude that their activities are a stopgap measure until they can find something better (Murphy and Venkatesh, 2006, p. 131). Exotic dancers, despite being able to exploit male fantasies for monetary gain, still feel the psychological pain of having to suppress their real feelings and personality to maintain the illusion for hours at a time (Egan, 2003). In The Wire (2003), season two, episode nine, an overseas sex trafficking operation triggers a police sting operation because a shipping container is found filled with dead women supposedly destined to staff a Baltimore brothel. It seems unlikely that they would have chosen this destiny if they had been informed of the risk.
A Matter of Perspective?
Very few people chose to become a sex worker it seems, although there have been recent transitions that have forced a reconsideration of prostitution as a viable career choice. When New York City Mayor Giuliani ordered the streets swept of illegal street vendors and prostitutes during the mid1990s the intended effect was realized, although many of the prostitutes simply moved their operations indoors (Murphy and Venkatesh, 2006, p. 137-143). This outdoor to indoor transition brought about changes in terms of increased safety and lower rates of arrest, as well as a sense of accomplishment and even pride, as many began to operate their own sex businesses. For these women, prostitution began to feel like a career choice, complete with a sense of personal fulfillment and a realized service to community.
The women arrested during episode nine, season two, of The Wire (2003) were probably told that American citizenship would be theirs for the taking, once they made it into the country and worked off their obligations. The ones that survived the trip were probably treated well as long as they remained marketable to high-end customers, so this faith in their future was probably maintained for a period of years with the help of their handlers. Exotic dancers tend to convince themselves that the regulars they entertain and depend on for much of their income, are under their control because they have fallen for the fantasy of love and intimacy (Egan, 2003).
Harsh Reality
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