Sexo, quanto é? O valor e o custo de ser profissional do sexo

Resumo (EN)

Female prostitution is a form of labor in which sexual experiences are offered in exchange for payment, assigning a mercantile connotation to sex. Despite being a multifaceted and intersectoral phenomenon, sexual services, although included in Brazil's CBO (Brazilian Classification of Occupations) since 2002, lack social and labor regulation due to political, moral, and religious barriers. This perpetuates stigma, prejudice, and discrimination, limiting these women’s access to basic rights and full recognition of their individuality. While some advocate for eradicating prostitution due to the exploitation and violence faced by sex workers, such measures, without adequate public policies, fail to ensure protection and citizenship. This research aims to understand how cisgender women, who identify as sex workers, construct their self-image and perform various social roles beyond their profession. The study is qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive, based on a collective case study involving five participants aged 18 or older, self-identified as sex workers, operating in a city in São Paulo’s countryside. Data collection was carried out using semi-structured interviews, the Thematic Story-Drawing technique, and field diaries, in the women’s workplaces, such as bars and inns in the city center. The participants’ sociodemographic profiles revealed that three were aged 40–50 and two were aged 20–30; one identified as white, one as mixed-race, and three as black. Three were separated, two were married, and four had children. Most had been in the profession for over 10 years, with educational levels ranging from incomplete elementary school to completed high school. The analysis is grounded in Michel Foucault’s theories and structured into three categories. The Veiled Power: Prostitution Under a Social Cloak examines how patriarchal power exacerbates these women’s vulnerabilities and exposes them to violence. The Power Orchestrating Body, Sex, and Pleasure discusses the female body as an object of control and consumption, but also as a form of resistance, highlighting the oppressive aesthetic norms impacting women beyond their roles as sex workers. The Everyday Mystique: The Affective Relationships of Sex Workers explores the separation between personal and professional lives, marked by complexity and suffering. The findings reveal recurring themes, such as violence and social vulnerability, amplified by gender markers. The study underscores that amplifying these women’s voices exposes power structures that reinforce their marginalization, challenging the stereotype of the "profane woman" and enabling a broader understanding of their "womanhoods." This term encapsulates the diverse and resilient ways sex workers navigate their multifaceted realities, asserting their humanity and resistance. As a strategy to promote gender literacy and reduce the stigma surrounding sex work, a podcast will be produced based on the study’s findings.