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Masculinity and the Occupational Experience of Male Independent Escorts Who Seek Male Clients

Author

Listed:
  • Navin Kumar

    (Department of Sociology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA)

  • John Scott

    (School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD 4000, Australia)

  • Victor Minichiello

    (Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health, and Society; School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD 4000, Australia)

Abstract

While male sex work (MSW) is a highly gendered practice involving the commodification of the male body, masculinity has rarely been examined to understand this new occupational environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty male independent internet-based escorts in Brisbane, Australia. Masculinity was used as a conceptual tool to understand the nuances of the escorting experience, resulting in two themes: Endurance and Technical Skill. These themes were aligned with hegemonic expressions of masculinity, a system that orders masculinity into a hierarchy and potentially marginalises escorts. Participants thus used features of a system that subordinated them to attain primacy in the same framework, avoiding stigma. These themes described were far removed from dialogues of deviance oft-repeated by past sex work research, and instead bolster the view that male escorting is moving toward a paradigm of normalisation. We thus argue that masculinity is a critical conceptual tool in understanding the contemporary dynamics of the male escorting experience as it becomes increasingly normalised.

Suggested Citation

  • Navin Kumar & John Scott & Victor Minichiello, 2017. "Masculinity and the Occupational Experience of Male Independent Escorts Who Seek Male Clients," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-14, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:6:y:2017:i:2:p:58-:d:100538
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Logan,Trevon D., 2017. "Economics, Sexuality, and Male Sex Work," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107569577, December.
    2. Anthony Onwuegbuzie & Nancy Leech, 2007. "A Call for Qualitative Power Analyses," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 105-121, February.
    3. Seib, Charrlotte & Fischer, Jane & Najman, Jackob M., 2009. "The health of female sex workers from three industry sectors in Queensland, Australia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 473-478, February.
    4. Padilla, Mark & Castellanos, Daniel & Guilamo-Ramos, Vincent & Reyes, Armando Matiz & Sánchez Marte, Leonardo E. & Soriano, Martha Arredondo, 2008. "Stigma, social inequality, and HIV risk disclosure among Dominican male sex workers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 380-388, August.
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