*In the state, women make up 90% of the labour force and earn, on average, $400–$500 per week*

Ho ho ho. Any sensible working girl deals in notes, so nobody would
ever know what she earns. She also runs her own business, pretty
simple with the internet these days. If blokes paid with credit
cards, the wife would soon find out.

Jeweley; Your points about the illegal prostitution industry make it clear why this sort of stuff needs to be out in the open; To criminalise the industry which is 'out in the open' would replicate the conditions you talk about more broadly. If in the 'official' industry women are being exploited, this needs to be addressed in its own right as well.

I still believe with a legal industry you have harm minimisation compared to the alternative. But as you explain the situation is far from ideal.

Did a little googling of Sullivan (2005) and prostition. The most likely references seemed to be this one http://catwa.org.au/?q=node/13 "Legalising Prostitution is not the Answer: The example of Victoria, Australia Mary Sullivan and Sheila Jeffreys"

An number of references to Mary Sullivan on other sites had (CATWA) folloowing her name.

CATWA - "The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women is a feminist human rights nongovernmental organisation that works internationally and nationally to oppose all forms of sexual exploitation. CATW has Category II Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Australia is part of CATW International. CATW international is organised by regions. The Australian branch is part of the Asia-Pacific region which is organised from Quezon City, Philippines.

CATW Australia is a women only feminist organisation. " http://catwa.org.au/?q=node/2

If this is as it appears I'd find it pretty easy to believe that it's advocoacy "research" rather than an honest discovery of the situation. I've not read the whole report but what I have read did not give any reason to question that assumption.

The suggested $400–$500 per week for sex workers set off a few alarm bells. That does not gell with anything I hear about the industry.
R0bert

There is a fair amount of conditioning or grooming of the female victim position.”

I keep missing it, maybe you have to be a 12 year old girl to fall for it.

Posted by Jewely, Wednesday, 4 May 2011 7:22:58 PM

Remember the hysteria over that idea that artifical breast implants were causing things like cancer and illness in women?

It turned out eventually that the implants were safe, but not until after a company was bankrupted, and thousands of women received compensation that they were not entitled too.

Remember anything about the recovered memory syndrome, highly popular theraphy for a number of years.

Look at the pattern

marriage a patriarchial construct to keep women enslaved.
Recovered memory syndrome.
Breast implants and illness,
Prostitution and violence,
Myth vs reality.
http://onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11925

Nina Funnell, Monica Dux, Melinda Tankard Reist et al
http://onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11046

Must continually produce work that portrays the negative aspects of male female relationships. Extrapolating and exaggerating and esculating the hyperbole.

The point is, if the only lense is the lense of negativity then that is all they will ever see, regardless of the many positives that can and do occur every so often between women and men.

Grooming is a subtle approach, author Myrna Blythe pointed out how the editors of womens magazines sell misery and unhappiness.

The story line is repeated on Ophray, the circle, and on soaps. Even the most hard arsed sceptic would find it hard not to get sucked in.

The is much concern about the Americanization of mental illness, in other countries, and the drug companies use very effective selling campaigns, that are not all that dis-similar to how much of the feminist messages have been delivered.

'on average, $400–$500 per week, do not receive holiday or sick pay, and work on average four 10-hour shifts per week'

Sorry This doesn't sound realistic.

So in 40 hours a week, say they shag 40 people. So they get $10 a shag?
Really? If that was the case they'd all be street workers.

'Brothels take 50% to 60% of the money paid by johns'.

Hmmm. So in other words thats Brothels are charging clients $20 an hour.

Reeh he he he eaallly!

Even if they only shag 20 guys a week, that's still only $40 an hour.

Holly it depends on what part of the numbers go with what.

$1.78 billion in revenue for 3.1 million jobs is about $570 each but depending on which number you take for the number of workers there are around 47 million woman hours of labor involved (illegal businesses 4 or 5 times more workers than legal) and average work week of 4 * 10 hour days each. BTW I used the 4 times figure rather than 5 times to be generous.

For 15 hours of sex $570 is not all that bad. Given the percentage of men who treat 2 minutes as a stretch target there must be a lot of spare time available.

Assuming that all of the above is close and the business all took 60% (even from the independant operators) then it's just over $600 a week each. Still not good pay but above the range specified by the researchers.

Have I missed something?

Credible research, sure.

R0bert