ABSTRACT
This chapter explores to link together sociological research and feminist theory regarding prostitution in order to explore not only the physical and psychological harms associated with prostitution, but also those enacted in what is conceptualized here as 'the sex of prostitution'. It argues that there are four main elements which define the sex of prostitution: sexual service, inequality, objectification/derivatization, and the requirement of a body that performs as 'self'. The chapter focuses on the economic dimension of prostitution can obscure what is really at the centre of prostitution, which is sex. It discusses the different ways in which the sex of prostitution has been conceived as harmful. A number of sociological and psychological studies have demonstrated the increased likelihood that women in prostitution will experience violence. The chapter talks about the feminist analysis of sexual power that is modified to make it fit into an economic analysis which defines economic exploitation as the primary instrument of female oppression.
