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Encyclopedia of Sexuality and Gender pp 1–9Cite as

Economics of Sex Trade

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Synonyms

Adult web camming; Lap dancing; Pornography; Prostitution; Telephone sex.

Definition

Sex work is conventionally split into two main areas, prostitution and pornography, although they sometimes overlap to a degree: this entry will cover both of these fields in turn. In addition, there are various other separate fields of sex work that currently exist such as telephone sex services, stripping/lap dancing and topless bars, and (more recently) adult web camming, which will also be more briefly considered.

Introduction

Pornography is defined as the production of imagery mainly for the purpose of sexual gratification. Prostitution is the offering of personalized sex and sex-related behaviors for sale in exchange for money or other goods. Most commonly, both of these occur in relation to heterosexual sex but homosexual pornography and prostitution certainly do exist, although mainly for the male market. Male sexual services that are offered to females are a relatively small market...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Scholar, London, UK

    Vincent Barnett

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  1. Vincent Barnett
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of New England Department of Psychology, Armidale, NSW, Australia

    Amy D. Lykins

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Barnett, V. (2021). Economics of Sex Trade. In: Lykins, A.D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexuality and Gender. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59531-3_61-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59531-3_61-1

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