The Economics of Prostitution: A Qualitative Analysis

Ghorbani, Esmaeil; Kermani, Mahdi; Ounagh, Nazmohammad

doi:10.22054/rjsw.2024.69259.612

The Economics of Prostitution: A Qualitative Analysis

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

esmaeil ghorbani ¹

Mahdi Kermani ²

Nazmohammad Ounagh ³

¹ Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² department of social sciences, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

³ Department of Social Sciences Bojnourd University, Bojnourd, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/rjsw.2024.69259.612

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate the social and economic causes of the formation of the prostitution market and the consequences of the entry of prostitutes into this market. The research implementation method is grounded theory and based on interpretative paradigm, which is practical in terms of research results and in terms of cross-sectional study time (1398-1399). From the systematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 21 people from the prostitution market (prostitutes, pimps and clients) and experts in the field of prostitution in Bojnurd city, 33 subcategories, 15 core categories and finally based on the selective coding of the central phenomenon in the form of " Prostitution market, a thriving market based on forced provision of sexual services" was formed.". The results of the research showed that the central phenomenon identified was influenced by a set of factors including: "social helplessness", "abundance of demand", "high income for pimps" and "escalating poverty that leads to consequences including "intensification of vulnerability to dangerous factors", "continuous exposure to violence", "defamilization from everyday life" and "sexual exploitation of poor and socially disadvantaged women". Also, "active adaptation to the existing situation" and "intermittent/discontinuous resistance" are considered as the most important strategies facing prostitutes in this market.

Keywords

Prostitution

prostitution market

sexual exploitation

customer

pimp

Subjects