ABSTRACT
In the global market for sex, some of the most valuable women are from Russia. As with other post-Socialist countries, when the Soviet Union collapsed, sex became
a commodity and thousands if not millions of women-and men-were eager to trade. Several dynamics led to this growth. Reforms that replaced communism with capitalism, coupled with a scarcity of well-paying jobs, forced many women to get involved in sex work in order to survive. The dismantling of the welfare state undermined the service sector (mostly healthcare and education), which was the primary employer of women. These traditionally female jobs were devalued and salaries for them decreased. Many women lost their jobs all together.
