Sex Economy

The discourse surrounding prostitution is increasingly one of sexual commerce, transaction and commercial exchange. The "e;sex economy"e; and the consumer demand for it is often discussed both as a legitimate economic business, in which women have control, and as employment comparable to other forms of low-paid work. So much so, that in some countries it is being seen as a service that should be regulated and given a labour-rights framework.Drawing on extensive and detailed research, Monica O Connor challenges the suggestion that the sale of women s bodies as commodities can ever be acceptable, and that the male consumer has an acceptable right to buy sexual acts from another person. She disproves the claim that "e;sex work"e; is a lucrative occupation for impoverished women and girls that can be considered for regulation as part of the normal economy. She lays bare the harm that "e;normalising"e; the sex trade does on women s lives, gender equality and on society as a whole, and exposes the realities that constrain and control women locked in prostitution, debunking the notions of choice and agency.