Feminist Perspectives on Sex Markets

Abstract

This chapter shows that feminist debates over sex commerce extend to a number of social practices, including pornography, prostitution, trafficking in persons, and the use of sexual images of women to promote products and entertainment. The chapter establishes that feminist theorists are divided on the question of whether markets in sexually explicit materials and sexual services are generally harmful to women. Accordingly, some feminist scholars have explored and developed arguments for restricting sex markets, while others have investigated political movements that aim to advance the rights of sex workers.