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Date Added to Site: 29th November 2006 |
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Short Summary
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| Title |
Sexual Politics and Social Policy: the Swedish Experience Reviewed
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| Author |
Subrahmanian, R., |
| Publication Date |
June 2007 |
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Short Summary
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Why does Sweden, given its global standing as a leader in promoting gender equality, follow a policy approach to sex work that seems to be at odds with evolving approaches in countries in the South, and elsewhere in Europe? Sweden has criminalised the purchase of sexual services of prostitutes based on the view that prostitution is an aspect of patriarchy and bad for women. Penalties are imposed on the [male] client and the pimp but not on the prostitute. This approach, which seeks to abolish sex work, seems at odds with developments elsewhere that increasingly recognise sex workers' agency and the importance of supporting sex workers' struggles to combat stigma and gain rights. The Swedish law penalising clients may have the effect of making prostitutes more vulnerable because they are forced further underground, and are in greater competition with each other given the decline in clients. This book chapter focuses on the origins of Sweden's stance on prostitution, arguing that these lie in Swedish models of gender equality which have a tendency to paternalism, protectionism and reliance on the state.
This article is due to appear in:
'Reversing the Gaze: Development Perspectives on Nordic Appraoches to Gender Equality' Edited by Naila Kabeer, Agneta Stark with Edda Magnus, forthcoming (publication date and publisher currently unknown).
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