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| Sex workers report high job satisfaction |
| 2007-03-01 |
| LEGAL prostitutes are just as happy as women in regular jobs, according to a survey that reports high job satisfaction in parts of the sex industry. But illegal workers who sell sex on the streets had a much grimmer outlook, with half saying they had been raped or bashed in the past year. The survey compared the mental and physical health of nearly 250 Queensland prostitutes aged 18 to 57 who worked in registered brothels, at home or on the street. Legal workers reported similar job satisfaction to women in the general community, but streetworkers were far less happy in the job. "The general picture is that those women whose families know about their work reported greater job satisfaction than those who kept their work secret," said researcher Charlotte Seib. Asked why they entered the industry, 82 per cent said they did it for the money and 52 per cent pointed to the flexible working hours. "And 39 per cent said they had a particular goal in mind such as a new car, a house or a holiday," said Ms Seib, from Queensland University of Technology. One in four of the women surveyed had a Bachelor degree or higher, which is contrary to the popular stereotype that sex workers came from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. More than 60 per cent were employed before joining the industry. Legal workers were mentally on par with other women but streetworkers were far less psychologically stable. Ms Seib said the reasons for this were complex but probably stemmed from higher rates of child abuse, illicit drug use and violence on the job. About half said they had been raped or bashed by a client in the past year compared with 12 per cent of private workers and just 3 per cent of brothel workers. This proved that legalisation of the industry had been effective for those working within legal boundaries but streetworkers were still at risk, Ms Seib said. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #9 Reminds me of PAUL NEWMAN as JUDGE ROY BEAN > how the "Hanging Judge" of lore settled the Amer West by threatening hookers + murderous gunfighters wid death unless they got married. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-03-01 23:13 |
| #8 LOL, Don M.!!! |
| Posted by: mac 2007-03-01 17:17 |
| #7 The Mustang Ranch with its famous motto: I got screwed by the federal government. The Feds owned it for a while after a tax forfeiture. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2007-03-01 17:12 |
| #6 I attended the University of Nevada at Reno and had many female friends that were paying for their education by working at the Mustang Ranch east of town. One such co-ed that I knew went on to law school and is a practicing attorney in California. Last time I saw her she said, "I'm still doing the same work but I have a better title now." |
| Posted by: DonM 2007-03-01 17:05 |
| #5 Its obvious...if they do it legally, it's a fun high paying life. |
| Posted by: Glomble Hupinetle1240 2007-03-01 15:52 |
| #4 No, no! It's really true! I've heard of more than one |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2007-03-01 15:50 |
| #3 I don't think they really enjoy their work; I think they're just faking. |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-03-01 14:27 |
| #2 I've taken to heart the cautionary tale Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigalo. |
| Posted by: JDB 2007-03-01 14:07 |
| #1 These people are fucked. No, really... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-03-01 13:49 |