Meaning Consent within Independent Sex Work in Italy

Abstract

In adopting a collaborative autoethnographic perspective, this contribution aims to investigate the meanings attributed to consent and its management within the context of sex work in Italy. The article adopts a theoretical framework aimed at highlighting how discourses on gender and sex-economic exchange contribute to the qualification of the social status of those who sell sex within the specific abolitionist regime that exists in Italy. By analyzing the way clients and workers position themselves regarding boundaries and demands made within the interaction, the article allows for an observation of which socio-cultural expectations related to bodies and sexualities intervene in the production, and reproduction, of social hierarchies linked to gender, class, and ethnicity. This choice reflects the intention to problematize the processes of re-semantization of sexual consent based on sexual activity and individual reputation, an aspect poorly investigated when connected to sex work and sex workers’ rights.

Keywords: sex work, clients, consent, policies, agency.