Title:

Selling Sex

Publish Date:

May 2009

ISBN:

978 1 86168 488 2

Covering Ages:

16 to 18 years

Issue Description

Sexualised images seem to be everywhere in our society: in advertising, in magazines and on television. But is the sex industry as glamorous as such images might lead us to believe? This title looks at how both the act and the idea of sex are for sale in our society. It covers the debates surrounding prostitution, sex trafficking and pornography, as well as other areas of the sex industry such as lap dancing clubs. It also looks at the sexualisation of society.

The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.

Price:

£7.95

Quantity:

Key Facts

• There are estimated to be around 80,000 people involved in prostitution in the UK. (page 2)
  
  
• 9% of men in the UK have paid for sex, and 4.2% have done so in the last five years. In the 1990s, the number of men buying sex in the UK doubled. (page 3)
  
  
• 52% of women in street prostitution were under 18 when they first worked in prostitution. (page 3)
  
  
• Almost six in ten (59%) people surveyed by Ipsos MORI agree with the statement that ‘prostitution is a perfectly reasonable choice that women should be free to make’, while a quarter (27%) disagree. (page 4)
  
  
• New measures announced by the Government would mean that men would be breaking the law if they paid for sex with a woman trafficked into the UK or working for a pimp, regardless of whether the man was aware the woman was forced into prostitution. (page 14)
  
  
• The US state department claims that between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked for forced labour or sex worldwide every year; Unicef says a million children and young people are trafficked each year. (page 17)
  
  
• Almost 40% of the male population used pornographic websites in 2005. British Internet users search for ‘porn’ online more than anyone else in the English-speaking world. (page 19)
  
  
• Every second $3,075,64 is being spent on pornography. (page 26)
  
  
• 66% of young people say that they find out about sex, love and relationships through the media. (page 27)
  
  
• 63% of girls say that they would rather be glamour models than teachers or doctors. (page 30)
  
  
• The lap-dancing industry estimates it employs 10,000 women. (page 32)
  
  
• The number of lap dancing clubs in the UK has doubled since 2004 to over 300 establishments. (page 36)

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Table of Contents

Chapter One: Prostitution

Prostitution, Prostitution: a summary, Public’s views on prostitution, Prostitution – fact or fiction?, ‘Callous’ sex trafficking gang jailed, I’m a sex worker – don’t take away my livelihood, Schoolgirls lured into prostitution, warns MP, International approaches to prostitution, New prostitution laws ‘unenforceable’, New laws will make sex workers more vulnerable, Human trafficking and the sex industry, The myth of trafficking.

Chapter Two: Pornography

Pornography, The law and pornography, Ban on extreme images comes into force, Criminalising extreme porn, Jane Austen and the case for extreme porn, Change society and porn will change too.

Chapter Three: Sexualising Society

Sex object culture, MPs want age ratings for lads’ mags, Lads’ mags, Why lads’ mags have a shelf life, Should lap dancing be run out of town?, Strip clubs to be licensed as Sex Encounter Venues, It’s lap-dancing business as usual, Girls aged five ‘sexualised by toys like Bratz dolls’, Teen mags ‘cause early sexualisation’.

Key Facts

Glossary

Index

Additional Resources

Acknowledgements

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The Study Guide for: Selling Sex - Volume 174

Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.

Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.95
ISBN: Coming September 2009

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