Australian studies in law, crime and justice

The working lives of prostitutes

Published in:
Working girls : prostitutes, their life and social control / Roberta Perkins
ISBN 0 642 15877 0
Canberra : Australian Institute of Criminology, 1991
(Australian studies in law, crime and justice series)

Abstract

The working lives of a sample of Sydney prostitutes in the 1990s are scrutinised and compared to earlier studies of Sydney prostitutes, and sex workers in America. Descriptions of workplaces and problems that arise, the nature of sex work, and the men in the business are offered for analysis, and the reasons why prostitutes enter the business are examined. The more positive features of the work are compared with the negative features.

Contents

• Introduction
• Public to private : where prostitutes work
• Entrance into prostitution
• The nature of the work
• Criminality, addiction and contagion
• Pimps and patrons : the "boys" in the business
• Conclusion