Economies of Desire: Sexuality and the Sex Industry in the 21st Century

Catherine Hakim

Economic Affairs, 2015, vol. 35, issue 3, 329-348

Abstract: New data from sex surveys confirm that demand for commercial sex is based on permanent disparities between male and female desire, and is therefore ineradicable. Demand and supply are growing, facilitated by economic growth, the Internet, globalisation and changing sexual attitudes. A key objection to the sex industry is that pornography, lap dancing and prostitution promote rape and other kinds of violence against women. However, the evidence contradicts this contention. The commercial sex industry is impervious to prohibitions and cannot be eliminated. Laws which constrain sellers of sexual services or criminalise purchasers are not evidence-based, and are bound to fail, wasting public resources.

Date: 2015
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