The Role of Hegemonic Masculinity in Male Escort Career Mobility

• In Event: The Changing Nature of Masculinities

Abstract

Male sex work (MSW) research has been generally limited to HIV risk, drug use and violence. This study takes a different approach by exploring career mobility for male independent escorts in Brisbane, Australia. As internet-based escorting is fast becoming the primary mode of MSW, looking into how one can achieve mobility within the context of male independent escorting is essential to understanding the changing nature of the trade. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 escorts; contacted through MSW websites and a community group. Participants conceived of escorting as a job or career and defined career mobility primarily as having regular clientele, followed by high income. Mobility is achieved through non-physical attributes, chiefly through competitiveness. The characteristics necessary for mobility were subsumed into a Matrix of Independent Escort Career Mobility, indicating that mobility, its requisite characteristics and consequently, career-oriented male independent escorting is framed through hegemonic masculinity.

Author

• Navin Kumar, Queensland University of Technology