Fams I need help

[Charliethefeminist]

What a neutral word between sex worker and prostitute? Is there one?

Women in the sex industry can mean anyone from a "madam" to a woman who cleans at a strip club to a woman camming and so on.

If you are talking about prostitution you need a word / words that cover that.

The sex industry has widened the umbrella to make the stats around harm more watered down.

Thank you Nothing for the final choice and also to everyone else.

Women who are prostitued

Prostituted woman is the term that Rachel Moran, a woman’s rights activist and sex trade survivor advises. It includes the fact that another person does something to the woman to put her into that state. It doesn’t give pimps and punters the invisibility from their damaging actions towards the woman.

When I was a child the euphemism was 'working woman' (and that it was something vaguely naughty).

It confused the hell out of me when I went to school and heard that some mums worked.

Thanks for that Quarks, I'm going to use prostituted woman from now on. I've always hated when simply using the word "prostitute" that when used over and over it's easy to forget that these are actual women being discussed.

Thank you quarks, very much

Agree with quark

I was being a bit too literal though

They are "prostituted women".

I refuse to call them sex workers. I refuse to see them as entrepreneurs or self-employed service providers. When I hear people using the term 'sex worker' then I know that they have been groomed to dismiss the plight of prostituted women.

To call them sex workers would be to pander to the interests of misogynists, porn-addled consumers, traffickers, abusers and all their handmaidens.

After many, many years of working with prostituted women of all descriptions and ages, I feel very very strongly about this.

Woman who is paid for sex?

To be completely neutral I'm not sure all women who do prostitution would like themselves described as a "Prostituted woman" because it implies a lack of agency.

Woman who is paid for sex is factual and neutral.

Another vote for prostituted woman.

"Women who are paid for sex by men" is only inviting comments (if used in the twittersphere) such as "but what about all the men who are paid for sex or all the women who pay for sex" etc.

Meanwhile have a read of this:

www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1874622629511973&id=100008927618422

I think Sheila Jeffreys also uses the term 'prostituted woman'. I wouldn't call it neutral though. I don't actually think there are any terms that are neutral. So whatever term you use will imply what stance you're taking. And actually I think that's inevitable in the current climate.

Thank you again. I feel that prostitutes women is the phrase that most meets what I am looking for, though I understand some will say it denies women agency etc so is not flawless. (ignoring the fact that they've most likely been denied any agency in the first place.

I don't think the term prostitute denies women agency?

Saying prostituted women does that more (although I agree that the 0.0001% who are in this job for love are pretty irrelevant when discussing it generally and so prostituted women is a good descriptor but is like a red flag to certain types of people. It depends who you're talking to - a "friendly" or unfriendly audience.The treatment of rachel moran has been fucking appalling simply for speaking about her life).

The problem is that the women who are able to speak up about it, and so have a bigger voice, ARE the ones with agency. The powerless ones who have no agency, have no voice.

Prostituted people would be the most neutral term I can think of. Though the vast majority of prostituted people are girls and women.

"prostituted women" or "prostitute"

I agree with everything in PamAyres' post.

Call girls?

Good grief. Why would that phrase be in anyone's head? And why would anyone suggest it?

I agree with Quarks and theOtherPamAyres If Rachael Moran has suggested it, it's good enough for me.

Prostituted women.

Women who sell sex.

People who sell sex.

They are not selling 'sex' though.

The women are getting a few crumbs from the table to have a man poke his penis into her orifices, including her mouth. A lot of the time his penis is dirty as well.

I've never had sex like that.

'Escort' is kind of in between...