Political Debates on Sex Market: Brothels versus Streets

Abstract

Sexual politics, in other terms, affecting sexuality to a political attribution can be traced back to the rise of class society. Politics may be defined as the methods, tactics, and strategies applied to maintain the continuity of a system. When sexual politics are handled in the context of the subject of this work, the relationship between the sexes manifests itself as the domination of one gender (masculine) on the other (feminine). The patriarchal ideology, which determines the relationship between women and men, has also a deeply rooted sexual culture on how the sexual relationship between two people (hetero or homosexual) should be interpreted. In this work, the sociological meaning of offering sexuality against money or any other benefit will be questioned. In this study, a total of 44 women have been interviewed in depth, 31 of whom work in brothels, and 13 on the street. In this perspective, the working conditions of the women in the prostitution market have been considered on the bases of pimp-woman, lover (dost)-woman, and client-woman relations. Based on the study findings, the assumption that the exploiting of women will be eliminated by improving the working conditions in the prostitution market means not only normalising the public thought which will expose the women to all kinds of use, but also disregarding the mechanisms that force women to practice prostitution and remain helpless, and creating gender inequality.

Citation

Açıkalın, N. (2021), "Political Debates on Sex Market: Brothels versus Streets", Grima, S., Sirkeci, O. and Elbeyoğlu, K. (Ed.) A New Social Street Economy: An Effect of The COVID-19 Pandemic (Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis, Vol. 107), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 239-259. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1569-375920210000107039