Women’s Perspectives on their Experiences of Prostitution

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

The papers that compose this panel are derived from a qualitative study conducted with 20 women who were involved in prostitution in the province of Quebec (Canada). This study aimed to better understand the subjective consequences of prostitution on women’s well-being. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with each woman. The first interview, guided by the Life Story interview (McAdams, 1995; 2008), focused on participants’ pathways through prostitution and experiences during the period they were involved in prostitution. The second interview was inspired by the Possible Selves Questionnaire (Markus & Nurius, 1986) and provided an interpretive context to better understand women’s hopes, fears, and goals for the future. Each interview had an average duration of about 90 minutes. Participants were aged between 21 to 55 years old, with 50% of women interviewed in their twenties. Women were involved in various forms of sex work, including erotic massages, exotic dancing, street work, and escorting. The mean age of onset to engage in prostitution was 18 years old. Most women (75%) were no longer involved in prostitution, while 25% were still active at the time of the interviews.

Sub Unit

• Area V. Types of Offending / 23. Sexual Violence

Division of Special Interest

• Divisions of Special Interest / Division on Women & Crime

Individual Presentations

• Emotional Collapse: The Cumulative Disadvantages of Prostitution - Nadine Lanctot, Universite de Sherbrooke; Mathilde Turcotte, Université Laval; Sanika Audet, Universite de Sherbrooke

• Women’s Narratives of Prostitution as Roadmaps to Positive Identities - Mathilde Turcotte, Université Laval; Nadine Lanctot, Universite de Sherbrooke

• Reconstructing Self of Women Sex Workers: Fears and Wishes of Who They Will Become - Amélie Couvrette, Université du Québec en Outaouais; Nadine Lanctot, Universite de Sherbrooke; Sanika Audet, Universite de Sherbrooke

Discussant

• Joan A Reid, University of South Florida St. Petersburg