UPPSALA UNIVLRSI1\

Department or Deelopment Studies

(-leel essav
Minor lield Studv
lall 2003



















PROS1I1U1ION IN ARGLN1INA IN 1HL WAKL OI 1HL
LCONOMIC CRISIS
Author: Annika Daln
Superisor: Lars Rudebeck



i
CON1LN1S

ABS1RAC1 iii
SUMARIO i
ACKNOWLLDGLMLN1S i
RLCONOCIMILN1OS ii

J. IN1RODUC1ION 1
J.J IN1RODUCING 1HL CASL 1
J.2 PURPOSL OI 1HL RLSLARCH AND QULS1IONS LXAMINLD 1
J.3 PLAN OI 1HL LSSAY 2

2. 1HLORL1ICAL IRAMLWORK 3
2.J DLIINI1IONS AND 1LRMINOLOGY 3
2.1.1 DLVLLOPMLN1 3
2.1.2 GLNDLR AND PA1RIAR(l\ 4
2.1.3 POVLR1\ 5
2.1.4 PROS1I1U1ION
2.1.5 SURVIVAL S1RA1LG\ 8
2.2 ILMINISA1ION OI POVLR1Y 9
2.3 WAYS OI VILWING PROS1I1U1ION 11
2.3.1 PROS1I1U1ION AS LMPO\LRMLN1 lOR \OMLN 12
2.3.2 PROS1I1U1ION AS OPPRLSSION Ol \OMLN 13
2.4 IRAMING PROS1I1U1ION 14

3. ML1HOD 1
3.J QUALI1A1IVL ML1HOD 1
3.2 1HL IILLD S1UDY 1
3.2.1 IN1LRVIL\S 1
3.2.2 PAR1I(IPA1OR\ OBSLRVA1IONS 18
3.3 WRI11LN MA1LRIAL 19
3.4 LIMI1A1IONS 19

4. 1HL SI1UA1ION IN ARGLN1INA 21
4.J DISCRIMINA1ION OI WOMLN IN ARGLN1INA 21
4.2 1HL LCONOMIC CRISIS IN ARGLN1INA 23
4.3 1HL IMPAC1 OI ARGLN1INA'S LCONOMIC CRISIS ON WOMLN 25

5. PROS1I1U1ION IN 1HL ARGLN1INIAN CON1LX1:
RLSUL1S OI 1HL S1UDY 2
5.J PROS1I1U1ION HIS1ORICALLY 2
5.2 LLGAL IRAMLWORK 28
5.3 VIOLLNCL AND O1HLR RISKS 29
5.4 RLSPONSLS IROM SOCIL1Y 32
5.5 AMMAR 33

6. 1HL PROS1I1U1LD WOMLN:
AN ANALYSIS BASLD ON 1HL S1UDY 36
6.J WHO ARL 1HL PROS1I1U1LD WOMLN? 36
6.1.1 1lL \OMLN IN M\ MA1LRIAL 36


ii
6.2 WHY PROS1I1U1ION? 40
6.3 1HL IMPAC1 OI 1HL LCONOMIC CRISIS 41
6.4 GL11ING OU1 OI PROS1I1U1ION 43
6.5 CAN PROS1I1U1ION BL A VIABLL SURVIVAL S1RA1LGY? 46

7. CONCLUDING DISCUSSION 49

RLILRLNCLS 51
BOOKS AND PUBLISHLD AR1ICLLS 51
NON-PUBLISHLD MA1LRIAL AND IN1LRNL1 SOURCLS 52
IN1LRVILWS 53
PAR1ICIPA1ORY OBSLRVA1IONS 53



iii
ABS1RAC1
1his essav is the result o a minor ield studv conducted in Buenos Aires. Argentina. between
December 16
th
. 2003 and March 1
st
. 2004. 1he aim o the studv was to inestigate emale
prostitution and its connection to poertv. especiallv related to the economic crisis that struck the
countrv in 2001. It is a descriptie case studv. where the situation in Buenos Aires. Argentina with
regard to prostitution is treated as a case o eminisation o poertv. 1he main research question
is: bor cav pro.titvtiov be vvaer.tooa a. a .vrrirat .trategy iv tbe covtet ot tevivi.atiov ot porerty.
1he theoretical base or the essav is a presentation o dierent iews represented in the
contemporarv prostitution discourse. which I then sum up in a discussion presenting mv iew o
prostitution: that prostitution in a patriarchal societv. that we lie in todav. is oppression o
women. Seeral concepts releant to the studv. such as poertv. prostitution and surial strategv
are also extensielv elaborated on. as well as the concept o eminisation o poertv which deals
with women`s generallv greater ulnerabilitv to poertv compared to men.
Ater a long economic recession. Argentina`s economv crashed completelv in 2001.
Unemplovment and poertv rates rose sharplv. Manv women had to go out in the streets to sell
their bodies in order to proide their amilies with an income. 1here are no oicial statistics on
prostitution. but it has increased drasticallv. 1he studv includes women who were alreadv in
prostitution beore the economic crisis as well as women orced to enter due to the crisis. 1hev
all hae in common stating poertv as their main reason or entering prostitution.
1he situation or poor women in prostitution in Argentina is diicult. and the economic
crisis has made it een harder. 1he number o clients has decreased. and the increase in women
exercising prostitution has made the competition harder. which in turn has lowered the prices. It
is thereore erv diicult to make a sustainable liing rom prostitution. 1he women in mv studv
want to leae prostitution. but most o them are uneducated and some come rom poorer
neighbouring countries. which adds racist discrimination to the obstacles hindering them.
Prostitution is also deastating or the sel-esteem and manv women ind it hard to gather the
strength to trv to change their lie situations.
1he diicult situation most poor women in prostitution are in makes it hard to see
prostitution as an explicit strategv. especiallv considering that it is a situation thev want to leae. I
preer to see it as a surial alternatie. moreoer erv oten the onlv alternatie aailable.
Although the essav ocuses on prostitution and poertv. it is important to remember that poertv
is not the cause or the existence o prostitution. it is merelv a actor assuring a constant supplv to
meet the male demand or buving sexual access to women`s bodies. which is the primarv reason
that prostitution exists.


iv
SUMARIO
Lsta tesina es el resultado de un estudio de campo menor. realizado en Buenos Aires.
Argentina. entre el 16 de diciembre de 2003 v el 1 de marzo de 2004. Ll propsito del estudio ue
inestigar la prostitucin emenina en Argentina v su conexin con la pobreza. especialmente en
relacin con la crisis econmica que golpe el pas en 2001. Ls un estudio descriptio de un caso.
en el cual la prostitucin en Argentina es considerado como un caso de eminizacin de pobreza.
La cuestin principal de la inestigacin es: Cvo .e pveae evtevaer ta pro.titvciv covo vva e.trategia ae
.vperrirevcia ev vv covteto ae tevivi.aciv ae ta pobre.a.
La base terica de la tesina es una presentacin de dierentes perspectias representadas en el
debate contemporaneo sobre prostitucin. las cuales despus resumo en una discusin
presentando mi isin sobre la prostitucin: que sta en una sociedad patriarcal. como en la que
iimos ahora. es una opresin contra mujeres. Varios conceptos releantes para el estudio.
como pobreza. prostitucin v estrategia de superiencia tambin son extensiamente
elaborados. as como el concepto de eminizacin de pobreza que trata de la ulnerabilidad ante
la pobreza. generalmente mas releante para las mujeres en comparacin con la de los hombres.
Despus de una recesin econmica larga. la economa de Argentina se quebr totalmente en
2001. Las tasas del desempleo v de la pobreza aumentaron uertemente. Muchas mujeres tuieron
que salir a las calles para ender sus cuerpos a in de proeer a sus amilias con un ingreso. No
hav estadsticas oiciales sobre prostitucin. pero ha aumentado drasticamente. Ll estudio incluve
tanto mujeres que va ejercan la prostitucin antes de la crisis econmica como mujeres que se
ieron obligadas a entrar debido a la crisis. 1odas tienen en comn que indican la pobreza como
su razn primaria para entrar a la prostitucin.
La situacin para las mujeres pobres que ejercen la prostitucin en Argentina es dicil. v la
crisis econmica la ha hecho mas dura todaa. La cantidad de clientes ha dismiuido. v el aumento
de mujeres ejerciendo la prostitucin ha hecho la competecia por los clientes mas dura.
proocando la bajada de los precios. Ls entonces muv dicil ganarse un sueldo sostenible con la
prostitucin. Las mujeres en m estudio quieren dejar la prostitucin. pero la mavora de ellas no
tienen educacin v algunas son de pases ecinos. lo cual anade la discriminacin racista a los
obstaculos que las impiden. La prostitucin tambin es deastadora para la autoestima v muchas
de las mujeres encuentran dicil reunir el coraje para tratar de cambiar sus condiciones de ida.
La dicil situacin en que se encuentran la mavora de las mujeres pobres que ejercen la
prostitucin hace dicil concebir la prostitutcin como una estratgia explicita. especialmente
considerando que es una situacin que quieren dejar. Preiero erla como una alternatia de
superiencia. ademas muchas eces la nica de que disponen. Aunque la tesina se concentra en


v
la prostitucin v la pobreza. es importante recordar que la pobreza no es la causa de la existencia
de la prostitucin. es solamente un actor. asegurando la proisin constante para satisacer la
demanda masculina de comprar acceso sexual a los cuerpos de mujeres. lo cual es la razn
principal porque la prostitucin existe.


vi
ACKNOWLLDGLMLN1S
lirst o all I would like to thank all the wonderul women I came to know at the sewing
workshop at ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat. Not onlv did vou let me isit vou and took good care o
me. but vou also let me be a part o vour communitv. shared vour experiences with me and gae
me vour riendship. \ou are all antastic persons and I wish vou all the best.
1hank vou to mv interiewees (arla. (laudia. DeliaAnita. lernanda and Olga or opening
up vour lies to me and giing me an insight in vour dailv lies. 1his studv would neer hae
been possible without vour openness.
1hank vou to ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat and .MM.R ^aciovat. and especiallv Sonia
Sanchez and Llena Revnaga who inited me to vour organisations and helped me with important
inormation and contacts.
1hank vou to Sara 1orres. (ecilia Lipszvc. Magui Bellotti. Vernica Sereno and Paula
Barrionueo or being so willing to meet me and share vour knowledge with me and also to
Susana A. Pastor or helping me with inaluable contacts.
lerman was great helping me settle down in Buenos Aires and inding somewhere to lie
and both he and Kristina were antastic companv and vatzv-partners or the time thev were in
Buenos Aires with me. \ou are wonderul riends.
Mv neighbours in the collectie on Arengreen - Paula. Ian. Juani and Pablo - not onlv
opened their home to me but also became mv riends. 1hank vou.
1hank vou also to the ibrera ae Mviere. \omen`s Bookshop,. the documentation centre at
Cov.eio ^aciovat ae ta Mvier National \omen`s (ouncil, and Pverta .bierta Recreavao centre or
helping me with inding literature. articles and documents.
A special thank vou to mv superisor Lars Rudebeck or giing me guidance and good adice
and belieing in the project. 1hank vou also to Lalena Volk or helping me out in the initial
phase and (las Lindberg or aluable input to mv preparations beore the studv. I also would like
to thank the reai.b vtervatiovat Deretopvevt Cooperatiov .gevcy or giing me the opportunitv to do
this studv through the Minor lield Studv Scholarship.

1here are too manv women selling their bodies in their dailv struggle or surial within an
unjust svstem. 1his essav is dedicated to them.


vii
RLCONOCIMILN1OS
A todas las mujeres maraillosas que conoc en el taller de costura de la ..ociaciv .MM.R
Capitat. gracias por su cuidado. su amistad. por dejarme ser parte de su comunidad v compartir
sus experiencias conmigo. Son todas personas antasticas v les deseo todo lo mejor.
A mis entreistadas (arla. (laudia. DeliaAnita. lernanda v Olga. gracias por abrirme a su
mundo. Lste estudio nunca podra haber sido posible sin su ranqueza.
Gracias a la ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat v .MM.R ^aciovat. v especialmente a Sonia Sanchez
v Llena Revnaga por initarme a sus organisaciones v avudarme encontrar inormacin v
contactos importantes.
Gracias a Sara 1orres. (ecilia Lipszvc. Magui Bellotti. Vernica Sereno v Paula Barrionueo
por compartir su tiempo v conocimiento conmigo. v tambin a Susana A. Pastor por avudarme
con sus apreciados contactos.
lerman ue enomenal avudandome a instalarme en Buenos Aires v encontrandome un lugar
donde iir. 1anto el como Kristina me acompanaron v ueron companeros de vatzv antasticos
por el tiempo que estuieron en Buenos Aires conmigo. Son amigos maraillosos.
Mis ecinos del colectio en Arengreen - Paula. Ian. Juani v Pablo - no solamente me
abrieron su hogar sino tambin llegaron a ser mis amigos. Gracias.
Gracias tambin a la ibrera ae Mviere.. el centro de documentacin del Cov.eio ^aciovat ae ta
Mvier v el centro Pverta .bierta Recreavao por avudarme a encontrar literatura. artculos v
documentos.
Gracias especiales a m superisor Lars Rudebeck por aconsejarme v creer en el provecto.
Gracias tambin a Lalena Volk por avudarme en la primera ase del trabajo v a (las Lindberg
por sus aportacines aluables antes del estudio. 1ambin quisiera dar las gracias a la .vtoriaaa
veca para ta Cooperaciv vtervaciovat itaterat para et De.arrotto por darme la oportunidad de hacer
esta tesina otorgandome la Beca de Lstudio de (ampo Menor.

lav demaciadas mujeres endiendo sus cuerpos en su lucha diaria por la sobreiencia
dentro de un sistema injusto. Lsta tesina es dedicada a ellas.


1
J. IN1RODUC1ION
)bere .be i.. . yovvg 2]year ota tbat ovce iv a rbite ba. to .teep ritb av ota vav .o tbat be gire. ber
.ovetbivg to .vrrire. - vterrier ritb teva Reyvaga. .MM.R ^aciovat ov Decevber 2. 200

J.J IN1RODUCING 1HL CASL
In 2001. ater a long economic recession. Argentina`s economv crashed completelv. Manv
people lost their jobs. and poertv increased sharplv. to include more than hal o the countrv`s
population. lor manv women. prostitution became a wav o proiding their amilies with an
income. Although there are no oicial statistics on prostitution. it is obious that it has increased
drasticallv since the economic crisis. Mv readings and interiews point to the same situation.
which can be illustrated bv the ollowing quote rom the (hilean magazine )be Ctivic:
In the amous section 59 o the dailv newspaper Ctarv. until 1999 it was common to ind
around a hundred adertisements rom women. men and transestites oering their serices.
Now thev don`t go under three hundred. 1he oers are manv and show with claritv the
situation: there are pregnant women. oral sex or 5 Argentinian pesos
1
. models rom
teleision who accompanv the client all dav or 120 Argentinian pesos
2
. and who end the dav
with sex without restrictions.
3

\hv is it that so manv women ended up in prostitution 1he aim o the studv is to look at
this situation and discuss how prostitution can be seen as a surial strategv within a context o
poertv and economic crisis.
1he theoretical point o departure is a presentation o dierent iews o prostitution. which I
sum up in a discussion presenting mv iew o prostitution. which then orms the basis or the
analvsis. An important concept or the studv is the one o eminisation o poertv`. which I hae
chosen to see the situation in Argentina as a case o. 1hus. the analvsis o the results o the studv
is made within this context.

J.2 PURPOSL OI 1HL RLSLARCH AND QULS1IONS LXAMINLD
1his essav is intended to be a descriptie case studv o emale prostitution in Buenos Aires.
Argentina. 1he situation in Buenos Aires with regard to prostitution. especiallv since the
economic crisis that struck the countrv in 2001. is treated as a case o eminisation o poertv. a
concept that I will elaborate on urther down. I hae looked at the drastic increase o prostitution



1
5 Argentinian pesos are approximatelv 1.5 euro June 2004,.
2
120 Argentinian pesos are approximatelv 34 euro June 2004,.
3
Barrera. Laristo: 2002: 1urismo sexual en Argentina` )be ctivic: page 9 mv translation,


2
as a svmptom o the increasing poertv and inestigated how lie has changed. since the crisis. or
women who hae entered prostitution due to poertv. 1o do this. I hae tried to ind answers to
questions such as in what wav prostitution is connected to poertv or them. what droe them
into prostitution and what motiates them to continue. what thev were doing beore and whether
it was possible to continue with that or not. what other alternaties there were. i thev had anv
kind o choice. i their iew o prostitution has changed since the crisis. how thev see the uture
in terms o whether prostitution is a iable surial strategv or not. and so on.
\hile conducting mv studv I hae worked under the presumption that there is a causal
connection between the increase in prostitution and the increasing poertv in the wake o the
economic crisis. During mv studv I hae tried to inestigate this presumed causal relation. 1he
essav thereore ocuses on the economic causes. although these cannot be completelv isolated
rom other contributing causes. Mv main research question. and what I trv to illustrate in the
essav. is: bor cav pro.titvtiov be vvaer.tooa a. a .vrrirat .trategy iv tbe covtet ot tevivi.atiov ot porerty..
1he essav is important and releant since there is not much research on this speciic situation
and since prostitution is gien erv little attention bv the Argentinian goernment.
4
I also eel that
it is especiallv important to point out the eect o economic crisis and poertv on women. since.
as I will discuss urther down. women are oten aected harder than men.

J.3 PLAN OI 1HL LSSAY
lollowing this introduction where the purpose o the essav is stated. chapter two is dedicated
to presenting the theoretical ramework upon which the studv is built. 1hereater the method
used when carrving out the studv is described in chapter three. (hapter our gies the reader
some necessarv background inormation on the Argentinian context. and in chapter ie the
situation regarding prostitution more speciicallv is presented. 1he sixth chapter treats and
analvses the results rom the ield studv. examining some o the questions presented in the
introduction. It is ollowed bv a concluding discussion in chapter seen.




4
RIMA. Red Inormatia de Mujeres de Argentina: 2002: .rgevtiva: baaor Report trov O^C. to CD.! Covvittee


3
2. 1HLORL1ICAL IRAMLWORK
As mentioned. I present the case o prostitution in Argentina as a case o eminisation o
poertv. 1he concept o eminisation o poertv will be discussed in section 2.2 below. lor the
theoretical understanding o prostitution I look at eminist theories on the subject and through a
discussion o these I shape a theoretical ramework rom which the results o mv studv can be
interpreted and understood. A presentation o the literature used is ound in section 3.3 about
written materials.

2.J DLIINI1IONS AND 1LRMINOLOGY
Beore moing on to the discussion o the concepts that lav the theoretical ground or this
essav. some deinitions are necessarv. 1hus. this section contains some concepts central to the
studv that I eel need to be elaborated on in order to aoid conusion.

2.1.1 DLVLLOPMLN1
1he concept o deelopment has been much debated. and questions such as what is
deelopment`. deelopment or whom` and how are conditions or deelopment created`
hae come up within the debate. Larlv discussions on deelopment and women had a mainlv
\omen In Deelopment` \ID, ocus. meaning that women were seen as a ulnerable group
within the deelopment process and not as changing agents o the same. Deelopment aid
projects were ormed speciicallv or women and their special needs`. Latelv the ocus has shited
rom \ID to GAD Gender And Deelopment,. where gender aspects are applied on eerv
aspect o the deelopment process and all initiaties are examined rom a gender perspectie.
1his also has its point o departure in the iew that both men and women are subjects that can
and should participate in their own deelopment process.
5
1raditional measurements o
deelopment. such as GDP Gross Domestic Product, hae proed to be insuicient since thev
omit manv important aspects o deelopment. or example education. health and equalitv and
ocus exclusielv on economic actors. Another problem has been that women hae not been
included speciicallv. Because o this. alternatie deelopment measurements hae been eoled.
such as the lDI luman Deelopment Index, and. or special ocus on gender relations and
deelopment. Gender-related Deelopment Index and Gender Lmpowerment Measure. 1hese
can be seen as resulting rom the eolution o the deelopment discourse. as the iew on



5
de Vvlder. Stean: `Jmstlldhet och attigdomsstrategier`: in Utrikesdepartementet: 2004: Ma/t ocb priritegier - ov
/v.ai./riviverivg ocb tattigaov. Det.tvaier. page 91


4
deelopment has changed. 1he most common measurements are still GDP and lDI. howeer.
in neither o which women hae been included speciicallv. lurthermore. women in deeloping
countries. as will be discussed in section 2.2. are oten ound in the inormal economic sectors.
which are excluded rom most measurements o economic deelopment. such as GDP. 1his is
problematic. since when women`s contributions to deelopment are oerlooked. it easilv leads to
them being oerlooked when shaping deelopment policies as well. In this essav. I will relate to
this problem bv ocusing on women in a deeloping economv. and more speciicallv. women in
the inormal sector o this economv. and their surial strategies. Argentina. although ranked
among the countries with high human deelopment` in the latest luman Deelopment Report.
is still classiied as a deeloping countrv
6
and this together with the impoerishment o the
population that ollowed the economic crisis makes Argentina a case worth studving in this
perspectie.

2.1.2 GLNDLR AND PA1RIAR(l\
Although connected. gender is a wider concept than sex. which onlv takes into consideration
the biological dierentiation between men and women. Gender` includes dierentiation between
masculinitv and emininitv as constructed through. or example. socialisation and education.

1he
concept o gender is closelv linked to the concept o patriarchv. since gender or manv is seen as
constructed within a patriarchal societv.
8
Kuo deines patriarchv in the ollowing wav:
|.| the social organisation that svstematicallv and unjustiiablv assigns subordinate
status and power to women. relatie to their male counterparts.
9

Patriarchv is a dualistic svstem. where men and women unction as opposites. lurther. the
opposites are hierarchicallv ranked with men aboe women. 1his hierarchv within societv is
necessarv or the patriarchal svstem to maintain its order.
10

\ithin patriarchv. almost exclusielv women become prostituted. 1he ollowing analvsis bv
Luis Prez Aguirre proides a possible explanation:
It is clear that patriarchv is the social structure based on the propertv and possession o
the woman. in which she acquires not rights. but concrete obligations and unctions
subordinated to the man. And it is clear as well that capitalism is a particular orm o social



6
UNDP. United Nations Deelopment Programme: 2003: vvav Deretopvevt Report 200

Reddock. Rhonda: \hv gender \hv eminism`: in Parpart. Jane L.. etc: 2000: )beoreticat Per.pectire. ov Cevaer ava
Deretopvevt
8
See or example introduction in Kuo. Leonore: 2002: Pro.titvtiov Poticy: Rerotvtiovi.ivg Practice tbrovgb a Cevaerea
Per.pectire
9
Kuo 2002. page 5
10
Prez Aguirre. Luis: 1995: a covaiciv teviviva. pages 18-19


5
organisation that has inherited. making them its own. all the pseudo alues o the patriarchal
culture. which it considers perectlv unctional or the man,.
11

I women are seen as propertv within the patriarchal svstem. and capitalism with its
commercialisation o nearlv eervthing in societv has taken oer the patriarchal alues. it is not
strange that also women`s bodies are seen as commodities to be bought. sold and used bv men.
1hus. the capitalist svstem and the patriarchal structures mutuallv reinorce each other - so much
so that it is diicult to see them existing independentlv o one another - maintaining women in a
situation o exploitation and discrimination.
1he eminist discourse on deelopment has increasinglv called or including gender. and
pointed out that both women and men must be lited rom poertv and contribute to and beneit
rom deelopment eorts.
12
1his has latelv been gien attention: through or example the
dierent measurements ocusing on women. but much o the relation between gender and
deelopment remains problematic since gender to a large extent is being oerlooked.
1his essav will ocus primarilv on gender and not the biological sex. since I eel that it is
important to put the women`s situation into a context o their roles and conditions within societv.
I hae howeer made one biological distinction: between biologicallv born women and
transestites.
13
It could be argued that the transestites should be seen as women rom a gender
perspectie. since thev take on a erv eminine gender role and see themseles as women.
loweer. societv in general does not look at them this wav. thev are seen as gavs and commonlv
reerred to as men dressed up as women`. although it is something much deeper than purelv a
masquerade with clothing and make-up. Due to this act. that the transestites are not seen. nor
treated as women. their situation is in manv wavs dierent rom that o other prostituted women.
and or that reason I hae chosen not to include them in mv studv.

2.1.3 POVLR1\
Poertv. seen as the state o shortage where basic needs are not satisied although the
possibilities mav exist. has increasinglv been acknowledged as the most important problem
thought to be oercome bv deelopment. In the millennium declaration bv the United Nations.



11
Prez Aguirre. Luis: 1995. page 21 mv translation,
12
Reddock in Parpart 2000
13
1here are quite a ew man-to-woman transestitestranssexualstransgender in prostitution in Buenos Aires. Some
onlv use emale accessories. such as clothing and make-up. whereas some hae gone through surgerv to hae emale
breasts. but keeping their male genitals. No matter their degree o phvsical transormation thev are in the public
discourse all reerred to. and reer to themseles as transestites.


6
eradicating extreme poertv and hunger stands as the irst among the deelopment goals.
14
1he
concept has traditionallv been deined as haing less than one dollar per dav to lie on. the so-
called poertv line.
15
1his is a rather static deinition. Latelv. this approach has been increasinglv
criticised. since being poor is so much more than a purelv economic condition. and newer
poertv deinitions hae been expanded to include such things as lack o dignitv and autonomv.
1he UNDP concept o human poertv` reers to the denial o opportunities and choices or
liing a tolerable` lie.
16
1hus. the ocus in poertv studies todav has been widened to include not
onlv resources and economv but also social and political dimensions.
In the poertv discourse. gender is oten iewed as a special issue`. \hen gender aspects do
exist. men are oten seen as economic actors whereas women are portraved as a ulnerable group.
implicitlv needing the support and protection o men.
1
1he strictlv economic deinition o
poertv is problematic rom a gender perspectie. since the work traditionallv allocated to women
within a patriarchal svstem. such as housework and caring duties. to a large extent unpaid. is
commonlv depreciated and made inisible. In todav`s societv. productiitv is rewarded and the
majoritv o women`s work is seen as unproductie since it does not generate an income. 1his
leads to the problem that in oicial statistics regarding women`s economic actiitv it oten seems
as i women work about 40-50 o what men do. when in realitv it is rather the opposite.
lurther. in income poertv analvses. the household is oten used as the unit o measurement.
with the implicit assumption that the combined income is diided equallv within the members o
the household. loweer. studies hae shown that men in or example Latin America use
between 30 and 50 o their income or their own consumption. 1he inequalitv in the diision
o resources becomes more eident the poorer the amilies are.
18

Since this essav ocuses on the economic crisis in Argentina and the situation or poor
women in prostitution within it. I hae chosen to use an economic deinition o poertv. 1he
poertv line can be useul when it comes to statistical data. In this studv. howeer. it is necessarv
to be a bit more lexible. since the perception o being poor is erv subjectie. I hae thereore
not stuck strictlv to the one dollar per dav-deinition. but rather deined poertv as not haing
suicient economic resources to coer the liing expenses or haing just enough. but nothing or



14
UNDP 2003. page 1
15
UNDP 2003
16
(agatav. Niler: 1998: Cevaer ava Porerty
1
Johnsson-Latham. Gerd: `Att orsta kinnors och mns attigdom och utsatthet: deinitioner. omattning. orsaker
och uppmrksamhet i attigdomsstrategier`: in Utrikesdepartementet: 2004: Ma/t ocb priritegier - ov /v.ai./riviverivg
ocb tattigaov. Det.tvaier. page 29
18
Ibid.. pages 33-34


7
unoreseen expenses. 1o a large extent I hae let the women in mv studv subjectielv deine
whether thev see themseles as poor or not. Although this essav ocuses on economic poertv.
the women in mv studv would all classiv as poor een i I had used a wider deinition including
powerlessness and lack o opportunities and choices. 1heir condition o being economicallv poor
in combination with being women in a patriarchal svstem and exercising prostitution. one o the
most stigmatised actiities in societv. ineitablv leads to this.

2.1.4 PROS1I1U1ION
1he eminist debate on prostitution is wide and much diided. In the sections 2.3-2.4. the
two main theoretical eminist traditions on prostitution. one more liberal and the other more
restrictie. will be discussed. lor the purpose o this essav I hae chosen to deine prostitution as
haing sex or monev. gien that sex` is deined in a wide wav. including other kinds o sexual
actiities as well as intercourse. 1here is an ongoing discussion between dierent groups in
Argentina about which term to use or the women in this actiitv. 1he ones arguing or the irst
position mentioned aboe commonlv use the term sex worker`. while the ones on the other side
talk about women in a prostitution situation`. Sex work` is commonlv used or adocating
prostitution as a job like anv other whereas women in a prostitution situation` implies that
prostitution in no wav is a job and neither is it a choice. Both these terms are erv normatie and
thereore I hae chosen to aoid using them. 1here is no completelv neutral term. but in this
essav I hae chosen to use the terms woman in prostitution` or prostituted woman` and
prostitution`. I will use the term exercise prostitution` or describing their actiitv. since I do not
agree with the notion that prostitution can be seen as a job.
Distinctions are oten made between dierent kinds o prostitution. or example male and
emale prostitution. child and adult prostitution. ree and orced prostitution. brothel and street
prostitution. and so on. 1he onlv distinction I hae chosen to make or this essav is the one
between male and emale prostitution. Although I hae onlv interiewed adult women in mv
studv. some o them got into prostitution as children. i.e. beore the age o 18. According to an
article in the Argentinian publication rvia.. the aerage age or entering prostitution in Argentina
is 12 or 13 vears.
19
It is diicult. i not almost impossible. or these girls when thev become adults
to get out o prostitution. due to threats rom pimps. lack o emplovment opportunities and the
obligation to economicallv maintain children and other relaties. 1he idea that a situation these
girls hae been in or vears suddenlv becomes something essentiallv dierent the dav thev turn



19
lontenla. Marta: 2001b: `Amor de la calle`: en el continuo de iolencia` rvia.. page 102


8
18. although their actiitv and their lie situation remains the same seems absurd. 1hereore I eel
the distinction between child and adult prostitution is rather diicult to make. \ith regard to ree
and orced prostitution. it can be doubted whether there is such a thing as a completelv ree
choice when it comes to prostitution in a patriarchal societv. although there are dierent degrees
o coercion. with the most extreme being traicking and when iolence is used. Moreoer. when
it comes to the women in mv studv. where poertv is the main cause o their prostitution. the
choice` is oten between letting their children go hungrv and prostituting themseles. \ith
regard to brothel and street prostitution. the conditions the women work under dier between
brothels and the street. but the basic actiitv remains the same. and it is common to hae worked
in both enironments. Separating dierent orms o prostitution can also be a wav o separating
prostitution rom the context o iolence against women
20
and legitimising sexual exploitation. as
it is made permissible and acceptable depending on whom it deals with.
21

1here are two main reasons or mv choice to make the dierentiation between male and
emale prostitution in this essav and ocusing onlv on emale prostitution. lirstlv. that mv
approach is iewing the Argentinian situation as a case o eminisation o poertv and ocusing
on the impact o the crisis on women. 1he other reason is that the men in prostitution are
relatielv ew. 1here are prostituted men. but the oerwhelming majoritv o the people in
prostitution are women. due to their subordinated position in patriarchv as discussed in 2.1.2
aboe. a position that also. I beliee. makes the experience o prostitution partiallv dierent or
women than or men.

2.1.5 SURVIVAL S1RA1LG\
1he term surial strategv` reers to the multiple wavs in which a household or another orm
o economic unit tries to obtain the basic necessities or surial. It does not onlv reer to
dierent wavs o generating income. although this is an important part. but also to such things as
unpaid domestic labour. the use o extra-domestic networks. the negotiation o access to
collectie serices and dierent wavs o reducing costs. Surial strategies are closelv related to
poertv. since it is under inancial pressures the strategies become necessarv. to use the aailable
labour and resources as ullv as possible.
22
\omen orm an important part o these strategies.
both because thev are oerrepresented among the poor. as discussed in the next section and



20
Prostitution as iolence against women is urther discussed in sections 2.3.2 and 2.4
21
lontenla 2001b. page 103
22
Schmink. Marianne: 1984: lousehold economic strategies: Reiew and research agenda`: ativ .vericav Re.earcb
Rerier. page 91


9
because thev oten hae to take on multiple roles and responsibilities to ensure the reproduction
and surial o the amilv.
23
1he act that the struggle or surial in poor sectors o societv so
extensielv depends on and is realised at the cost o women has lead Saskia Sassen to talk about a
eminisation o surial`. In times o economic crisis. the increased unemplovment o men as
well as o women. combined with goernment cutbacks on social serices. contributes to making
the pressure on women to ind new wavs o assuring the surial o the household grow. Among
other things. prostitution has grown as an option or surial.
24

1he surial strategv`-concept has been criticised since it implies the existence o a choice or
the actors as well as conscious behaiour and high leels o rationalitv.
25
It can be argued.
howeer. that een i the onlv options are staring and prostitution. to go into prostitution is still
a choice. i not necessarilv a ree one. I see that point o iew as. besides rom being cvnical. airlv
pointless since it makes the notion o choice` so wide that it can be applied to almost anvthing.
1he criticism against the surial strategv`-concept or implving conscious behaiour and high
leels o rationalitv can be seen as reducing the people incorporated in the concept. as i thev
would not be able to behae rationallv within the limits o their social context. \hen using the
concept o surial strategv` it is important not to ocus onlv on the indiiduals or the
households as isolated entities. but to put them into a wider social and structural context. 1o do
this enables a more oerarching and generalising understanding o an indiidual surial strategv.

2.2 ILMINISA1ION OI POVLR1Y
A much discussed and widelv used concept within Deelopment Studies is that o
`eminisation o poertv`. It is deined in the UNDP working paper Cevaer ava Porerty in the
ollowing wav:
It can mean either one or a combination o the ollowing:
a, \omen compared to men hae a higher ivciaevce o poertv.
b, \omen`s poertv is more .erere than men`s
c, Oer time. the incidence o poertv among women is ivcrea.ivg compared to men.
26

lor a number o reasons. emale-headed households are more likelv to be poor. 1hus. one o
the wavs o looking at and measuring eminisation o poertv has been bv looking at the
incidence o poertv among emale-headed households in comparison to the male counterparts.



23
Gins. Mara Lmilia: Jerarquias de clase v gnero: aportes para la comprensin de las estrategias de substistencia
de las mujeres`: in Lipszvc. (ecilia. etc: 1996: De.prirati.avao to priraao: vviere. y trabaio.. pages 5-6
24
Sassen. Saskia, 2002: Las contrageograas de la globalizacin` Cotiaiavo Mvier. page
25
Ginz in Lipszvc. etc. 1996. page 88
26
(agatav 1998. page 4


10
1he existence o poertv in emale-headed households is not completelv consistent. but or
example in Latin America. these households tend to be oer-represented among the poorer
sectors o societv.
2
1hat a household is headed bv a emale. means that the household has a
woman as the main responsible or the household. which in turn oten means that there is either
no adult male in the household or that the male has little or no income. 1hus. not onlv are the
emale heads o households disadantaged on the labour market because thev are women. but the
other members o the household are also less likelv to be working-age males.
28
1he women are
then aced with the double role o both being the breadwinner and at the same time taking care
o the domestic responsibilities.

1his makes these households more ulnerable to poertv.
29
1he
women in the emale-headed households are in Latin America disproportionatelv ound in the
inormal sector.
30
A reason or this is that or the women to be able to combine these two roles.
the emplovment opportunities are eectielv narrowed down. 1he inormal sector jobs hae
lexible hours on the one hand. but on the other hand lower income and less securitv.
31

Lconomic crisis leads to ewer jobs being created in the ormal sector. and with ewer ormal
sector jobs aailable. unemploved workers and new entrants in the labour orce are oten
conined to inormal sector jobs. In addition to this. manv jobs within the ormal sector are
becoming inormalised` as companies increasinglv use subcontracting in the production
process.
32
It is oten in times o economic crisis that women are compelled to enter the labour
market. and thus requentlv reduced to the inormal sector. 1hus. more and more women are
incorporated into the least alued sectors o the economv. as a resource o cheap labour.
33

According to \ilson. the inormal and the ormal economic sectors are not two completelv
separate entities: rather the inormal sector subsidises the ormal. 1he unprotected nature o the
workers in the inormal sector and their direct and indirect use bv capitalist irms make up their
unctionalitv or the capitalist svstem. 1he workers within this sector are an inisible` proletariat.
o which women orm a large part. 1hev are subjected to a double exploitation. both as inisible
proletarians and as the subordinated sex.
34




2
Kabeer. Naila: 2003: Cevaer Maiv.treavivg iv Porerty raaicatiov ava tbe Mittevvivv Deretopvevt Coat.. page 81
28
Schmink 1984. page 92
29
Birdsall. Nancv. etc: \omen. poertv and deelopment`: in Buinic. Mavra. etc: 1983: !ovev ava porerty iv tbe
tbira rorta. page 9
30
\ilson. 1amar Diana: 1998: Approaches to understanding the position o women workers in the inormal
sector` ativ .vericav Per.pectire.. page 105
31
Birdsall in Buinic 1983. page 9
32
(onnellv. Patricia M.. etc: leminism and deelopment: 1heoretical perspecties`: in Parpart. Jane L.. etc: 2000:
)beoreticat Per.pectire. ov Cevaer ava Deretopvevt. pages 66-6
33
Prez Aguirre 1995. page 59
34
\ilson 1998. pages 114-115


11
An option or manv poor women. haing to be able to combine income earning with
household duties together with the limited number o options aailable or women. has proed
to be entering into prostitution. As cited in Scambler:
Recruitment to the ranks o prostitute is not appropriatelv characterised as onlv
concerning a small group o highlv deiant women. It is secured bv women`s relatie poertv
still being such that or large numbers sex is their most saleable commoditv.
35

Prostitution due to poertv. howeer. is ar rom alwavs a desirable wav out. not least since the
social stigma caused bv common perceptions o prostituted women. makes their experiences o
poertv een worse than those o women earning their income in other wavs.
36
\ithin the
economies o so-called deeloping countries. where the eminisation o poertv can be most
eidentlv obsered. tourism is oten promoted as a deelopment strategv. (loselv linked to the
tourism industrv is the entertainment industrv. o which prostitution commonlv orms an
important part. 1hus. the importance o the sex industrv or anv economv rises with the absence
o other jobs. proits and reenues.
3
As Sassen presents it:
Not onlv are households. indeed whole communities. increasinglv dependent on women
or their surial. but so too are goernments. along with enterprises that unction on the
margins o the legal economv.
38


2.3 WAYS OI VILWING PROS1I1U1ION
1o generalise the eminist discourse on prostitution. it can be said that there are two main
wavs o iewing prostitution. On the one hand. there are eminist theories with a liberal iew on
prostitution. that argue that it is eervone`s ree choice what thev want to do with their lies. and
that it is an opportunitv or women to use the structures in societv to their adantage. On the
other hand. there are eminist theories with a restrictie iew on prostitution. that argue that
prostitution is a orm o oppression o women and that it is a svmptom o the patriarchal
structures we hae in societv todav.
In this section I will present these two theoretical traditions on prostitution and then sum up
with a discussion about these two wavs o iewing prostitution in order to present a theoretical
ramework that can be used to interpret the results o mv studv.




35
O`Neill. Maggie: Prostitute women now`: in Scambler. Graham. etc, 199: Retbiv/ivg Pro.titvtiov: Pvrcba.ivg .e iv
tbe ]0.. page 10
36
Nencel. Lorraine: 2001: tbvograpby ava Pro.titvtiov iv Perv. page 216
3
Sassen. Saskia: Global cities and surial circuits`: in Lhrenreich. Barbara and Russell lochschild. Arlie: 2002:
Ctobat !ovav: ^avvie.. Maia. ava e !or/er. iv tbe ^er covovy
38
Ibid.. page 265


12
2.3.1 PROS1I1U1ION AS LMPO\LRMLN1 lOR \OMLN
1he eminists whom I hae chosen to call prostitution liberal` argue or a destigmatisation
and decriminalisation o prostitution. 1hev argue that prostitution is work. and thereore oten
use the terms sex work` and sex worker` instead o prostitution and prostitute. terms which thev
ind stigmatising and with negatie connotations. Lricsson argues in his article that there is
intrinsicallv no dierence in the kind o relationship that exists between a prostituted woman and
her customer. and the relationships in most serice proessions. 1he dierence we see is onlv
caused bv cultural blindness and sexual taboos. 1he argument that prostitution is work is also
supported bv the statement that the prostituted woman does not sell her bodv: she merelv sells
sexual serices.
39
O`Neill goes een urther in her argument and points out that sex work
challenges the whole patriarchal structure bv going against the stereotvpes o women`s work as
domestic. within the priate sphere and with long hours and emininitv as ragile. passie.
nurturing and emotional. 1he women in prostitution challenge this when thev go against it and
bring into the public sphere the serices that women are usuallv expected to perorm in priate
and or one man onlv. and oer them to manv men. 1his destabilises patriarchal power oer
women`s bodies. sexualities. images and representations.
40
1he argument can be used to claim
that prostitution empowers all women. as done bv the Lnglish (ollectie o Prostitutes:
\e argued that or some women to get paid or what all women are expected to do or
ree is a source o power or all women to reuse the sex thev don`t want.
41

Another strong argument rom the liberal side is that o reedom o choice. Lervone should
hae the reedom do decide what thev want to do with their lies. including i thev want to
prostitute themseles. 1here are women who choose to prostitute themseles. because o the
rewards that come with the work. such as higher pav than most women get. oreign trael and
unusual reedom. not to mention that there are women who like their work.
42
Although it is
admitted that the choice to go into prostitution oten has economic causes. this cannot be used as
an argument against prostitution according to Lricsson. le argues that the economic actor
might hae contributed to the prostituted woman`s choice o proession. but so did it most likelv
in the case o the lawver as well.
43
Although the choice to go into prostitution is oten made due



39
Lricsson. Lars O.: 1980: (harges against Prostitution: An Attempt at a Philosophical Assessment` tbic.. page
353
40
O`Neill in Scambler 199. page 4
41
Lnglish (ollectie o Prostitutes: (ampaigning or legal change`: in Scambler. Graham. etc: 199: Retbiv/ivg
Pro.titvtiov: Pvrcba.ivg .e iv tbe ]0.. page 83-84
42
Scambler. Graham: (onspicuous and inconspicuous sex work: 1he neglect o the ordinarv and mundane`: in
Scambler. Graham. etc: 199: Retbiv/ivg Pro.titvtiov: Pvrcba.ivg .e iv tbe ]0.. page 120
43
Lricsson 1980. page 346


13
to lack o other choices. this does not change the act that it is still regarded as a ree choice. as
O`Neill shows in her text:
Some women make independent liestvle choices due to the realities o economic need
in a climate o economic recession. inadequate beneits. unemplovment and increasing
debt.
44

lurthermore. eminists who hold a liberal iew o prostitution oten argue that women are
not necessarilv oppressed in prostitution. loweer. thev do recognise patriarchal structures and
that these can lead to oppression. as stated bv Scambler:
And i much emale sex work vet remains deeplv svmptomatic o patriarchv. this does
not preent manv women rom dominating most o their encounters with most o their
clients. 1here is assertion and resistance to patriarchv een here.
45

Although this is recognised. thev do not see it as an argument against prostitution. rather as an
argument against how societv is ormed todav
Lricsson also compares a moderatelv successul call girl and a tvpical middle-class housewie
in suburbia and asks who is the more oppressed o these two: the housewie who is economicallv
totallv dependant on her husband. or the call girl who in that respect stands on her own two
eet.
46
1here is nothing in the prostitution contract per se that makes it oppressie: it is rather the
economic circumstances and the social stigmatisation o prostituted women that oppress.
1hereore. those are what should be abolished. not prostitution.

2.3.2 PROS1I1U1ION AS OPPRLSSION Ol \OMLN
On the other side o the argument are the eminists who hold that prostitution should be
campaigned against as a human rights iolation. According to them. prostitution cannot be
justiied. at least not in the societv we lie in todav. because o the patriarchal structures that
permeate eervthing in societv and aect women`s as well as men`s lies and choices. It is these
structures that make prostitution oppressie. or in Pateman`s words:
1he storv o the sexual contract reeals that the patriarchal construction o the
dierence between masculinitv and emininitv is the political dierence between reedom
and subjection. and that sexual masterv is the major means through which men airm their
manhood.
4




44
O`Neill in Scambler 199. page 15
45
Scambler in Scambler 199. page 120
46
Lricsson 1980. page 354
4
Pateman. (arole: 1988: \hat`s wrong with prostitution` )be evat Covtract. page 20


14
A actor contributing to prostituted women`s subordinated position. apart rom women`s
general subordination in patriarchv. is the ulnerable economic position women in prostitution
erv oten ind themseles in. 1he prostituted women`s abilitv to impose limits on the kind o
powers oer her person she transers to the clients through the prostitution contract is stronglv
aected bv her economic situation. 1hus. the more inanciallv desperate she is. the less reedom
does she hae to dictate the exchange.
48
Pateman urther explains the prostituted women`s
disadantage in the relation:
lor example. the prostitute is alwavs at a singular disadantage in the exchange`. 1he
client makes direct use o the prostitute`s bodv and there are no objectie` criteria through
which to judge whether the serice has been satisactorilv perormed.
49

1he argument that prostitution is oppression o women is oten drawn een urther. that
prostitution is not onlv oppression. but also slaerv. In a citation in the book bv Nencel.
prostitution is closelv linked with slaerv:
|.| prostitution is deined as: sexual slaerv o women desperatelv trving to surie.
women with little or no education or workplace skills. women with a limited amount o sel-
esteem due to the status o women in our patriarchal societv. a condition which has existed
or centuries. It is not possible to call that which is slaerv a proession.
50

1he argument that prostitution is slaerv is closelv linked to the argument against prostitution as
just another orm o work. Pateman argues that it looks erv much like slaerv to hae bodies or
sale in the market. Len though the bodv neer can be separated rom anv orm o labour power.
it is onlv in prostitution that the buver obtains unilateral right o direct sexual use o a woman`s
bodv.
51
1he prostitution-restrictie eminists also hold orward other arguments whv it is not
possible to see prostitution as work. or example structures in societv:
Rather. because |.| current sexual behaiour is constructed within and as a weapon o
patriarchv and heterosexism. sex work cannot simplv be another orm o work in
contemporarv culture
52

Prostitution is also. as or example O`(onnell points out. dierent rom other orms o work
because o the dangers attached to the job. lardlv anv workers run such high risks o being
assaulted. and urthermore. because o common iews o women in prostitution. those who
attack can rest airlv assured that there will be no or minimal consequences o their actions.
53




48
O`(onnell Daidson. Julia: 1998: Pro.titvtiov. Porer ava reeaov. page 65
49
Pateman 1988. page 208
50
Nencel 2001. page 46
51
Pateman 1988. pages 203-204
52
Kuo 2002. page 149
53
O`(onnell 1998. page 64


15

2.4 IRAMING PROS1I1U1ION
Prostitution is not an easv issue. and I ind manv o the arguments. both or and against.
alid. I will. howeer. in this section trv to discuss the arguments and through this discussion
create a ramework through which the results o the studv can be interpreted and understood.
lirst o all. I think it is necessarv to take the discussion at two leels. At the structural leel I
agree with the restrictie eminists that prostitution. at least in the context o the patriarchallv
structured societv we lie in todav can onlv be seen as a orm o oppression o women. In
Pateman`s words:
Prostitution is the use o a woman`s bodv bv a man or his own satisaction.
54

1here is nothing empowering in that. At the indiidual leel. on the other hand. I realise that
prostitution mav be the outcome o a rational choice made bv economic necessitv and the best
alternatie due to lack o other good alternaties.
I see prostitution in two wavs as a consequence o the patriarchal societv and women`s
subordination within it. lirstlv. as a direct consequence o men`s superior position to women.
where women are oten seen as objects that are there or the pleasure o men and thereore
become saleable as anv other objects. Secondlv. indirectlv through the discriminating gender roles
and the limited income opportunities or women. which lead to poertv. as discussed in the
section about eminisation o poertv aboe. Poertv and economic desperation. in turn. oten
lead up to prostitution.
Although I am aware that poertv is ar rom the onlv actor leading to prostitution. it is what
I am concerned with in this essav. and I will thereore limit the discussion mainlv to prostitution
and poertv. In an economicallv desperate situation. prostitution might erv well be a iable
surial strategv with manv adantages` compared to the other alternaties aailable. lor
example. prostitution sometimes generates a higher income than manv other jobs. it is oten
independent. and has a great deal o lexibilitv. loweer. these adantages`. or rather dierences
between prostitution and other alternaties generallv aailable or women rom the poorer
sectors o societv. onlv become a necessitv because o the structures and norms in societv putting
the main responsibilitv or the amilv and the household on the women. 1hus. the adantages`
help orcing the women into prostitution. as it is an actiitv thev can combine with their other
duties. something which is not possible with manv other income alternaties that almost alwavs
require long working hours. an impossibilitv or women with small children and nobodv else to



54
Pateman 1988. page 198


16
take care o them. Although it can be somebodv`s choice to go into prostitution. I do not regard
the choice in this context as a ree one. 1he choice` is made because there is irtuallv nothing
else to choose. 1he reedom to choose is narrowed bv the societal structures.
A common argument bv the liberal eminists is that prostitution is no worse than other jobs
aailable to women in a certain situation. Although this might be true. it is not an argument that
can be used or legitimising the institution o prostitution. Just because there are other wavs o
getting an income that are just as bad as prostitution. does that mean prostitution should be
accepted
Prostitution in the context o poertv leads to powerlessness. \hen prostitution increases
due to increasing poertv. as in the case o Argentina. the competition` or clients hardens. 1his
leads to weaker possibilities or the indiidual prostituted women to impose limitations on their
clients. which places them in an een more subordinated and oppressed situation.
1o conclude. I see prostitution or indiiduals as in some cases a not impossible alternatie in
a context o poertv. loweer. prostitution as an institution is extremelv oppressie. both due to
patriarchal structures. where men`s supremacv oer women is consolidated through prostitution.
and also due to economic structures which place women in particular in a erv ulnerable
situation.



17
3. ML1HOD
In this chapter the methods used when conducting the studv are described. I also go through
its limitations.

3.J QUALI1A1IVL ML1HOD
1he studies and analvses in this essav are mainlv based on a qualitatie method. concentrating
on a deeper understanding o the case. through interiews and literature. rather than ocusing on
statistics and more quantitatie inormation. \hen necessarv or complementarv inormation and
when aailable. quantitatie statistics are used. lurthermore. this is a qualitatie case studv. where
prostitution in Argentina is seen as a case o eminisation o poertv. 1he aim. as mentioned
earlier. is to illustrate how prostitution can be understood as a surial strategv in a context o
eminisation o poertv. 1here is no clear diiding line between qualitatie and quantitatie
methods. but mv choice o using a more qualitatie tvpe o method or carrving out mv studv has
implications on the results and conclusions possible to arrie at. laing an in-debt ocus. rather
than making use o ast amounts o data. makes generalisations o the results more diicult. I
thereore suggest that the results o the studv be seen as an example showing how prostitution in
a certain context can be understood.
55


3.2 1HL IILLD S1UDY
1he ield studv was made in Buenos Aires. Argentina. during two and a hal months. between
December 16
th
2003 and March 1
st
2004. During mv stav. I conducted interiews with people
connected to prostitution as well as women in prostitution. I also used mv time in Argentina to
look or more inormation and documentation on the issue and participating in meetings and
seminars o interest. lurthermore I conducted participatorv obseration at a workshop or
prostituted women.

3.2.1 IN1LRVIL\S
I interiewed in total twele persons. who are listed in alphabetical order in the list o
reerences. lie o the interiews were with women currentlv in prostitution and seen with
other people in some wav related to prostitution. such as representaties o prostituted women`s
organisations. members o eminist organisations working with the prostitution theme and



55
lor a urther discussion on qualitatie and quantitatie methods. see chapter our in Assarson and Sensson: 1996:
.tt traga ocb .rara. v ivtroav/tiov titt .tat.retev./aptig vetoa


18
members o orders o (atholic nuns working with women in prostitution. 1he women in
prostitution were contacted through .MM.R ^aciovat and ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat. two
organisations in Buenos Aires or women in prostitution.
56
I also tried to contact prostituted
women in other wavs. such as calling on ads in the newspaper Ctarv. but those attempts were
unruitul. I did not contact anv women directlv on the streets. due to securitv reasons. since the
prostitution areas are generallv seen as rather dangerous neighbourhoods. and especiallv or an
alone. oreign-looking woman. 1hus. the women in prostitution I interiewed were not chosen
because thev were statisticallv representatie. but rather because thev were willing to share their
experiences with me. 1his o course aects the inormation gien to me: howeer I do eel that
these women can be considered as roughlv representatie or the poor women in prostitution in
Buenos Aires. 1hev were kev inormants. just as the people connected to prostitution that I
interiewed. 1he latter were people inoled in dierent organisations. some o which I looked
up and contacted mvsel and some that I was reerred to.
\hen interiewing people connected to prostitution. I had airlv pre-determined questions.
whereas the interiews with women in prostitution were more semi-structured. leaing more
space or the interiewees to elaborate on the answers. Some kev questions were almost alwavs
used. howeer. like the ones presented in section 1.2 about the purpose o the studv.
In this essav. when reerring to the women in prostitution I interiewed. I hae in some cases
changed the name o the interiewee and omitted some reealing details. 1his is done at the
request o the interiewee to keep her anonvmitv. \hether I am using a changed name or not is
indicated in section 6.1.1 when presenting the women I interiewed as well as in the list o
reerences.

3.2.2 PAR1I(IPA1OR\ OBSLRVA1IONS
I participated at least once or twice a week in a sewing workshop or women in prostitution
at ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat. taking part in their ordinarv actiities. listening to discussions and
taking notes. Apart rom mv ie interiews with women currentlv in prostitution. I was through
the contacts with the women in this workshop able to widen mv understanding o the issue. and
some o mv conclusions are based on inormation rom these contacts. It was also arranged or
me to accompanv one o the prostituted women I was in contact with to the street when she



56
AMMAR stands or Asociacin de Mujeres Meretrices de la Argentina. which means Association or \omen
Prostitutes o Argentina. lor a urther description o the organisations. see section 5.5.


19
exercised prostitution to get an insight in the dailv lie o prostituted women. but this
unortunatelv neer happened due to circumstances I could not control.

3.3 WRI11LN MA1LRIAL
lor the theoretical part o the essav I hae mainlv used books as reerences. lor the
deinitions and the part on eminisation o poertv. I consulted literature rom the United
Nations Deelopment Programme. research articles published in dierent magazines and books
on the dierent issues. \hen it comes to prostitution. I hae used books and research articles
regarding gender issues and more speciicallv prostitution. Most o these are written bv women.
Since there is a ast bodv o literature on prostitution. I hae not been able to coer it all. I hae
thereore chosen to ocus on the literature concerning Latin America and connecting prostitution
and poertv. lor other parts. as or example inormation about the current situation in Argentina.
I hae also used articles and dierent internet sources. 1he reason is that there are erv ew
books on this. since the situation is so recent. Some o the inormation in the essav also comes
rom unpublished sources that I got rom dierent organisations in Argentina.
Some o the written material I collected at libraries in Uppsala and Stockholm. whereas some
was acquired during the ield studv in Argentina. I hae some materials in Swedish. but most is in
either Lnglish or Spanish. the majoritv being in Spanish.

3.4 LIMI1A1IONS
1he essav does not gie an oerall picture o how the situation or Argentinian women in
general has changed since the crisis. Since it is about prostitution. and women orced to enter
prostitution due to poertv. it naturallv ocuses on women who were alreadv beore the crisis on
the margins o societv. I am aware that poertv neer is the onlv reason whv someone chooses to
enter into prostitution. and that it does not at all explain the demand. which o course is one o
the main reasons or the existence o prostitution. I onlv gie a brie historical oeriew: the main
ocus is limited to the time around the crisis until todav. 1he studv is also geographicallv limited
to Buenos Aires. the reason or that being that most organisations working with these issues and
most documentation centres are located in Buenos Aires. Manv women rom other parts o the
countrv as well as rom abroad also exercise prostitution in Buenos Aires. As mentioned earlier I
hae not interiewed anv prostituted woman under 18 vears o age. nor anv woman currentlv
prostituted at a brothel. It has not been a conscious choice o mine to exclude these groups: it is
merelv due to the diicultv o access. Almost all women in prostitution under 18 vears o age are
under the control o a pimp. and since both pimping and brothels are illegal. it is irtuallv


20
impossible in such a short time and without the necessarv connections to come into contact with
anvone in these situations or the purpose o making a studv. loweer. these categories hae not
been completelv excluded rom the studv. since some o the women I interiewed started in
prostitution beore the age o 18 and hae preiouslv worked in brothels. As explained. I hae
also chosen to exclude transestites in prostitution rom mv studv. although thev see themseles
as women. 1he reasons or making this exclusion were discussed more extensielv in section
2.1.2. but basicallv it is because their situation is so dierent rom that o other women in
prostitution.



21
4. 1HL SI1UA1ION IN ARGLN1INA
In this chapter some issues important as background knowledge or the understanding o the
essav are presented within the national context o Argentina. 1he situation or women in
Argentina is described in general terms. and also the economic crisis causing the current situation
as well as its implications or women.

4.J DISCRIMINA1ION OI WOMLN IN ARGLN1INA
Argentina is a stronglv patriarchal societv and women are structurallv discriminated at all
leels. 1he problem does not mainlv lie in legal obstacles. as thev hardlv exist: women are
ormallv allowed equal rights and participation at almost all leels in societv. It can rather be
related to cultural conceptions o the place and alue o men and women in societv and a svstem
based on the man as the norm.
An important part o the discrimination o women is in relation to work. 1here are two basic
characteristics o this work discrimination: salarv discrimination and occupational segregation.
Although women generallv hae higher leels o education. thev earn between 25 and 50 less
than men under otherwise equal conditions.
5
with the disproportion increasing with the leel o
education and with age.
58
1he act that 28.8 o the households in Argentina are headed bv
emales worsens this salarv discrimination een more. since not onlv the women themseles
suer rom it. but also close to a third o the Argentinian amilies become directlv aected.
59

Apart rom being among the lowest paid on the labour market. women also perorm the majoritv
o the unpaid work within the homes. \omen work on aerage hours outside the homes and
then within their home 4 hours per dav. 1his means that thev on aerage hae a workdav o
around 11 hours. o which onlv are remunerated and moreoer. those hours are among the
worst paid in the labour svstem.
60
\omen in Argentina made up 41 o the workorce in 2002.
but their presence on the labour market is ar rom eenlv distributed oer the dierent
proessions. 1hev are ound in the traditionallv emale jobs. mainlv the serice sector where
especiallv the categorv domestic serices` stands out with 92 o the emplovees being women.
1hese jobs are among the lowest paid in Argentina.
61




5
Lvpszvc. (ecilia: Discriminacin de gnero en la Argentina contemporanea. Bree diagnstico`: in UNI(Ll.
United Nations (hildren`s lund: 2003: Di.crivivaciv ae gevero y eavcaciv ev ta .rgevtiva covtevporavea. pages 103-104
58
RIMA 2002
59
Lipzvc in UNI(Ll 2003. pages 105-106
60
Ibid.. pages 10-108
61
Ibid.. pages 100-102


22
1he situation regarding sexual and reproductie health is also a clear indicator o the situation
or Argentinian women. Maternal mortalitv rates are high in relation to other health indicators in
the countrv as well as in relation to other countries in the region: it is 39 per 100.000 children
born alie. Although sexual education is ormallv a part o the national curriculum. erv ew
schools proide anv. and as a direct consequence. onlv just oer hal o all sexuallv actie women
between 15 and 49 vears o age use anv orm o contraception. and the rates lower with the
socioeconomic leel. Neither the emergencv contraception pill nor the intrauterine deice are
usuallv proided in public health serices as thev are considered abortie. Voluntarv sterilisation
is prohibited as well as abortion in most cases. Abortion is in the penal code considered a crime
against the lie o people` except in cases o danger o the mother`s lie and health. rape and
incest. loweer. not een legallv allowed abortions are alwavs perormed in time and in manv
cases legal authorisation is asked or bv the doctors een though such a procedure is not
necessarv. Although it is illegal. estimations sav that around 40 o the pregnancies end up in
abortion and complications rom clandestine abortions is the irst cause o hospitalisation in
gvnaecological serices. Adolescent pregnancies are common: 15.5 o the children born alie
hae mothers less than 20 vears o age.
62
1his lack o adequate sexual and reproductie health
laws and serices strikes hardest on women. 1hev are the ones haing to take the direct
consequences when being hospitalised or abortion or dving giing birth. Due to cultural patterns
that consider the women as the onlv ones responsible or childbearing thev also hae the weight
o the responsibilitv and the condemnations rom societv. as especiallv voung women who hae
children without being married or in a stable relationship oten are considered loose`. Anv
equialence or voung men haing children mavbe een with manv dierent partners does not
exist.
Argentinian men and women are in most cases ormallv equal beore the law and Argentina
has ratiied the UN (onention on the Llimination o All lorms o Discrimination Against
\omen. but een in the legal sphere some exceptions exist. especiallv when it comes to the laws
concerning marriage. lor example. i the origin o goods is not determined or the eidence is
doubtul. the administration and disposal o these goods during marriage accrue to the husband.
1he legal age o marriage also diers between the sexes. being 16 or women and 18 or men.
corresponding to patriarchal ideas about marriage and the role o women within it. as it allows
men to hae a greater amount o vears o preparation. education and experience to ulil the role



62
RIMA 2002


23
o supplier`. Rape within marriage is not mentioned in the law.
63
In some cases the law does
establish airmatie action to promote the adancement o women. lor example. it is mandatorv
or political parties to hae at least 30 women on their lists or elected posts. In practice.
howeer. the 30 quota has become a maximum instead o a minimum. All heav posts are still
held bv men: the directie board in the chamber o deputies is composed o ten members and the
one or the senate bv nine. all o which are men.
64
Argentina has neer had a emale president or
a emale goernor in anv proince. except in San Luis when a woman assumed the position due
to the resignation o the male goernor who took the presidencv o the nation in December
2001.
65


4.2 1HL LCONOMIC CRISIS IN ARGLN1INA
1o ind the roots o the economic crisis in Argentina. the politics o the 1980`s and 1990`s
must be analvsed. 1he countrv returned to a democratic svstem in 1983. ater seen vears o
militarv dictatorship. 1he militarv junta let a countrv heailv indebted and with the economv in
ruins. 1he president that took oer power. Ral Alonsin. who pursued a politics o priatisations
and market liberalisations. did not manage to get the economv back in order and at the end o his
presidential period Argentina ound itsel in economic crisis. with no possibilitv to pav the
oreign debt and with huge inlation. (arlos Menem came to power in 1991. and he continued
the economic politics with een greater intensitv. Most state companies were sold. public serices
and social securitv were priatised and the Argentinian peso was tied to the American dollar. A
alse image o stabilitv was created and it seemed like the economv was going better. But at the
end o Menem`s period in power. a large portion o the Argentinians was impoerished and
discontent with the economic policv and the countrv saw its greatest concentration o economic
power in its historv. 1his led to a loss or Menem in the 1999 election. but the same economic
policv as beore was continued ater the election and new loans were taken to pav o old ones.
66

1he crisis deepened in 2000 and 2001. as the economic recession increased the capital light.
1he possibilitv that the dollar exchange rate would soon change led to a svstematic low towards
more stable inancial positions. such as the American dollar. 1he impossibilitv or the inancial
sector to return deposits in the original currencv in ace o an eentual change o exchange tvpe.



63
RIMA 2002
64
Lipzvc in UNI(Ll 2003. pages 122-123
65
RIMA 2002
66
Berezan. Lduardo: 2001a: `Argentina pa grnsen till nersammanbrott: Om inansiell kris och ardagsandor`
1arta.potiti/ev. aag.tragor 1. 200] and Lubertino. Maria Jos: 2002a: covovic cri.i. iv .rgevtiva: . rea/er teaeratiov ava
bope. tor gtobat teaerati.v`


24
led to a massie withdrawal o deposits in the local inancial sector. and the last wav out to
impede a total breakdown became the corralito`.
6
when the goernment decided to reeze
people`s bank accounts. lrom one dav to the next. on the 4
th
o December 2001. people ound
their bank accounts inaccessible. except or a withdrawal limit o 250 pesos or dollars per week.
A political crisis ollowed and between December 20
th
2001 when lernando De la Rua resigned
and Januarv 1
st
2002 when Lduardo Duhalde entered oice. Argentina had no less than ie
dierent presidents. In Januarv o 2002. the conertibilitv law was abandoned and the peso
dealuated. A dollar todav costs three pesos instead o one. As o December 2002 the (entral
Bank had lost more than 20 billion dollars o its reseres and the inancial sector a sum close to
35 billion dollars in deposits.
68

All this had o course a strong impact on the population. Popular protests against the
situation in the countrv grew. and when the banc accounts were rozen the protests culminated
into large demonstrations all oer the countrv on the 19
th
and 20
th
o December 2001 as people
went out on the streets. banging on pots and pans to make their oices heard.
69
1he popular
rebellion had on the 20
th
two results: 32 people killed bv the police repression and the
renunciation o president De la Rua. who had to lee the goernment building. surrounded bv the
protesting masses. in a helicopter.
0
Poertv in Argentina had bv October 2002 risen to 5.5.
1

with the numbers or Great Buenos Aires being a bit lower: 54.3. a number that can be
compared to the poertv rate in that area onlv two vears earlier. which then was 28.9
2
. 1he
unemplovment rate rose to 24 and the real wages decreased bv oer 40.
3
Between December
2001 and March 2003. the prices o staple ood - which can be seen as most representatie or
the poor households` consumption - rose much aster than those o proisions in general. the
latter increased with about 64. while the staple ood prices increased bv more than 8.
4

Another change that the crisis. including the economic recession prior to the crash. brought
was a change in alues among the population. oten mentioned in literature and bv mv
interiewees. 1his is hard. i not impossible. to measure statisticallv and is thereore a side eect
o the economic crisis that is more diicult to airm with certaintv. Argentina is oten described



6
`(orralito` means plav-pen.
68
Del (armen leijo. Mara: 2003: ^vero pa.. vvera pobre.a: Second ampliied edition. chapters 11 and 12
69
Geijer. lerman: 2003: )a/ivg Devocracy ac/: . tieta .tvay ot ..avbtea. Popvtare. ava tbe ettect. ot tbe rebettiov ot tbe ]
tb

ava 20
tb
ot Decevber 200] iv vevo. .ire.. .rgevtiva. pages 23-24
70
Del (armen leijo 2003. pages 11-118
1
Ibid.. pages 101-102
2
Ibid.. page 152
3
Lindroth. Johan: 2003a: |tri/e.avaty. vr ] 200: Perovi.t ravta. bti .rgevtiva. vye pre.iaevt
4
Del (armen leijo 2003. page 123


25
as haing been a democratic. pluralistic. inclusie societv where education had an important
position. all alues that hae now diminished.
It`s brutal. because all the alues were destroved: I`m not saving the traditional ones -
mom. dad and the children - no. no. all the alues that made up lie in societv. Lervthing
was destroved.
5

\ork was important in the Argentinian societv. workers generallv took pride in what thev did and
the possibilitv o social mobilitv thanks to working hard was not utopic. Now. the poor are not
onlv the ones who are unemploved. but there is poertv een among the workers. their salarv is
not enough to support their households. 1his is a dierent kind o poertv. since it is much more
inisible. It is hidden within the households and is onlv detectable through the multiple indiidual
strategies directed at oercoming it. Poertv todav in Argentina is also much more lexible. it is
not a static condition. but more o a rotation around the poertv line. one week aboe it. and the
next week below it.
6

Argentina has latelv been slowlv recoering. although the situation in the countrv is still grae.
1he GDP is increasing again. as well as the industrial actiitv in the countrv.

1he unemplovment
rate was in the irst quarter o 2004 down to just oer 14. loweer. another 15 are under-
occupied. and not een 40 o the population is ormallv emploved. 1he poertv rate. howeer.
has hardlv decreased at all and in Mav 2003. oer hal o the population. 54.. was still under
the poertv line.
8


4.3 1HL IMPAC1 OI ARGLN1INA'S LCONOMIC CRISIS ON WOMLN
1he economic crisis in Argentina has aected the Argentinian women disproportionatelv
hard and it is possible to use the concept o eminisation o poertv or describing the situation
in the countrv. O the emale population. 56 are below the poertv line.
9
and the emale-
headed households hae increased bv more than seen percentage units during ten vears to now
represent 28.8 o the total numbers o households in the countrv.
80
1he structural adjustment
programs with the state retiring more and more rom its social responsibilities. and the rising
poertv. has increased the responsibilities or women. since it has gien them a heaier workload



5
Del (armen leijo 2003
6
Ibid.. chapters 1. 4 and introduction

Ibid.. pages 146-14

8
INDL(. Instituto Nacional de Lstadistica v (ensos: 2004: 1asas de empleo v desempleo por regiones: Primer
1rimestre 2004`: Porcentaje de hogares v personas bajo las lneas de pobreza e indigencia en los aglomerados
urbanos LPl v regiones estadsticas. desde mavo 2001 en adelante`: vcve.ta Pervavevte ae ogare.
9
ISPM. Instituto Social v Poltico de la Mujer. etc: 2003: .vati.i. aet vercaao taborat ev .rgevtiva ae.ae vva per.pectira ae
gevero. page 13
80
Lipzvc in UNI(Ll 2003. pages 105-106


26
in the domestic sphere at the same time as thev hae been orced to increase their working hours
outside the home to economicallv maintain their amilies.
81
Studies hae shown that ater the
crisis. women hae abandoned working on their own in aour o salaried emplovment. whereas
the tendencv among men is in general going in the other direction.
82
loweer. more than hal o
the emale emplovments are ound within the inormal sector. and. as alreadv mentioned. women
moreoer tend to hae the lowest paid jobs within this sector.
83

In the wake o the economic crisis. as mentioned in the introduction. prostitution has
increased sharplv. In section 6.3. its impact on poor women in prostitution will be discussed.
loweer. it is not onlv the prostitution among poor women that has increased. but also the
sexual tourism. which mainlv aects a group o women not included in mv studv. As a
consequence o the economic crisis and the dealuation o the peso. Argentina has become a
erv cheap countrv or oreigners. 1he Buenos Aires local goernment estimates that the increase
in international tourist arrials to the citv 2003-2004 will be between 35 and 50. According to
statistics rom the \orld 1ourism Organisation. 20 o all tourists look or sex. Since oreign
businessmen are willing to pav between 100 and 1500 dollars per dav or an escort`. it has
become an alternatie or voung. well-educated women to earn sums that or the hard
Argentinian labour market are incomparable.
84





81
Lipzvc in UNI(Ll 2003. page 95
82
ISPM. etc. 2003. page 20
83
Ibid.. page 10
84
Delgado. Daniel: 2004: Los turistas buscan sexo en Buenos Aires. Ou ciudad acogedora` )`). pages 61-65


27
5. PROS1I1U1ION IN 1HL ARGLN1INIAN CON1LX1:
RLSUL1S OI 1HL S1UDY
In this chapter. I aim to present the Argentinian situation regarding prostitution more
thoroughlv. 1he acts presented in this chapter are based on books and articles and other
inormation dealing with the issues presented as well as on inormation gathered through mv
interiews.

5.J PROS1I1U1ION HIS1ORICALLY
!bev vavy peopte .ay tbat tbe otae.t prote..iov ot tbe rorta i. tbat ot tbe pro.titvte. tbiv/ tbe otae.t
prote..iov ot tbe rorta i. tbat ot tbe pivp. - vterrier ritb ara )orre.. .evat eavcator ava tevivi.t actiri.t ov
Decevber 2]. 200
1raditionallv. (atholic countries hae tended to iew prostitution as a necessarv eil in
accordance with the theories o Saint 1homas Aquinas
85
. whereas Protestant or Islamic countries
hae generallv had stronger tendencies towards prohibiting prostitution. In Argentina. a (atholic
countrv. prostitution was legalised and regulated bv the state between 185 and 1936. bv a law
that was among the irst kinds o labour legislation in Argentina.
86
Prostitution was erv common
at the time. and Argentina and especiallv Buenos Aires had the reputation o being the centre o
traicking o white women and legalised prostitution. In 1869. according to a census. almost 5
o the adult emale population o Buenos Aires was prostituted. 1hese high numbers lead to the
legalisation in 185 o regulated brothels where women in prostitution lied. were registered and
had to undergo superised medical examinations.
8
Argentina was an immigrant countrv and
manv o the immigrants coming were men. creating a male surplus whose demands or women
led to the high numbers o women in prostitution and the organised trade and traicking o
white Luropean women. rom Great Britain. lrance. Poland. Russia and other countries.
88

Nowadavs. oreign women in prostitution in Argentina mostlv come rom the poorer
neighbouring countries Paraguav. Boliia and Peru and also in quite signiicant numbers rom the
Dominican Republic. It has also become increasinglv common or Argentinian women to end up
in prostitution in Lurope. mainlv in Spain.



85
Saint 1homas Aquinas was a philosopher and a theologian who lied in the 1200`s and whose theological writings
became regulatie o the (atholic (hurch. lis theories can be interpreted to deend prostitution. since he claimed
that men hae irresistible sexual urges that cannot alwavs be satisied within the matrimonv and thereore
prostitution is necessarv in order or men to satisv their needs without committing adulterv and breaking the holv
institution o matrimonv.
86
Juliano. Dolores: 2002: a pro.titvciv: et e.peio o.cvro. pages 129-130
8
Guv. Donna: 1994: t .eo petigro.o. a pro.titvciv tegat ev vevo. .ire. ]:]::. chapter 2
88
Interiew with Sara 1orres. December 21. 2003


28
5.2 LLGAL IRAMLWORK
Yov cavvot tegati.e rbat i. vot ittegat - vterrier ritb teva Reyvaga. .MM.R ^aciovat ov
Decevber 2. 200
Argentina maintains an abolitionist tradition with regard to prostitution since 193. when the
prophvlaxis law came into eect. prohibiting brothels but not street prostitution. In 1949. the
UN (onention or the Suppression o the 1raic in Persons and o the Lxploitation o the
Prostitution o Others was ratiied. In accordance with this. the ones exercising prostitution
cannot be punished since thev are considered to be the ictims o this institution. In the penal
code it is not illegal or an indiidual to exercise prostitution. but it is illegal to proit rom the
prostitution o another person. which implies that pimps and brothels are illegal. It is also illegal
to orce anvone into prostitution. 1he penal code was reormed in 1999. and prostitution. among
other crimes. is regulated under the title crimes against sexual integritv`. which beore the reorm
was called crimes against decencv`. 1he law states or example dierent degrees o punishment
depending on the age o the ictim - the vounger the ictim. the worse the crime is considered to
be and thus the harder the punishment. I the person in prostitution is older than 18 vears old.
the pimp or the traicker can onlv be punished i it can be proen that deception. iolence.
threats. intimidation. etc. hae been used to orce the person into prostitution.
89
loweer. these
laws are oten not applied due to local. proincial or municipal laws. such as the codes o
oences or misdemeanours.
In Buenos Aires. arbitrarv arrests o women in prostitution were erv common until the irst
hal o the 1990`s. since the proincial laws allowed the police to detain persons on erv ague
grounds. such as a suspicious attitude` or deiant behaiour`.
90
\hen the constitution o Buenos
Aires was to be written in the mid 1990`s.
91
eminist organisations and women in prostitution
among others mobilised to put an end to the police orce`s right to arbitrarv detentions. 1his goal
was reached in 1996. but onlv two vears later. due to lobbving rom other groups in the citv.
mainlv neighbourhood organisations who did not want prostitution around their homes. the law
was modiied with the article 1 which again made the oer and the demand or sex on the
streets an oence. onlv that this time the women are not arrested: when taken bv the police. the



89
lontenla. Marta: 2001a: La prositucin v el traico de mujeres en la reorma al cdigo penal` rvia.. pages 104-
105
90
Lipszvc. (ecilia: 1999: .Ou pasa con el ejercicio de la prostitucin en la (iudad Autnoma de Buenos Aires`
evivaria. page 4. and interiew with Llena Revnaga. December 23. 2003
91
In 1994 the Argentinian constitution was reormed and the citv o Buenos Aires became an autonomous citv. 1he
autonomous citv o Buenos Aires has since 1996. when its constitution was approed. its own goernment and like
the other proinces o the republic its own representaties in the ederal parliament. 1hus. the suburbs in Greater
Buenos Aires belong to the Buenos Aires Proince. but the autonomous citv o Buenos Aires does not.


29
latter ile a criminal oence act on the women who then end up in the police register.
92
In Julv
2004. a much-debated new law proposal was. despite strong popular protests. approed in
Buenos Aires where among other things the oer o sexual commerce`. or prostitution. is
penalised with immediate arrest o up to 20 davs i a ine cannot be paid. \ith the new law the
police are again able to arrest people or suspicious attitudes`. which lavs the ground or arbitrarv
arrests. Argentina is a societv with widespread corruption. among politicians as well as within the
police orce. 1hereore it is common with connections between the police and brothel owners
and politicians and with some bribes the brothel owners oten go ree rom prosecution 1hus.
the women in prostitution are oten practicallv without legal protection since the police are oten
ound on the same side as the brothel owners and the pimps. Manv women in prostitution also
testiv to regularlv being orced to pav bribes to the local police in order not to be arrested.

5.3 VIOLLNCL AND O1HLR RISKS
. tbey tire iv .itvatiov. ot cov.tavt riotevce. vot ovty tbe riotevce iv tbeir bove.. or trov tbeir partver..
bvt at.o tbe riotevce tbey receire trov .ociety tor beivg tbe per.ov. tbey are. - vterrier ritb 1ervica erevo.
Pverta .bierta Recreavao cevtre ov ebrvary ]. 2001
1he women in prostitution are alwavs exposed to the risk o dierent kinds o iolence and
arbitrarv police detentions. Manv o the women in the sewing workshop I isited urther
described in section 5.5, had manv experiences to share o when thev had been attacked bv
clients and the police or been jailed and some o them could een show scars rom injuries thev
got while in detention. 1he arbitrarv arrests ceased in Buenos Aires in 1996. howeer with the
new law as explained in 5.2,. thev will again be a realitv. 1hev are still common in other cities
throughout Argentina. Len the women who hae not been exposed to anv iolence themseles
alwavs hae riends who hae been robbed or raped and thev are well aware o the risks:
\ou are alwavs subjected to all kinds o things. Because vou don`t know. Lxcept i it is
someone vou`e known or a long time. In the street it is mostlv dangerous because vou
don`t know whose car vou`re getting into or with whom vou`re going. \ou don`t know him.
93

Manv o the women in prostitution also experience iolence in their eervdav lies. most o them
who hae bovriends or husbands are phvsicallv abused at home and one o mv interiewees
testiied to how she had been sexuallv abused as a child.



92
Interiews with Magui Bellotti. lebruarv 25. 2004. Llena Revnaga. December 23. 2003. Sonia Sanchez. Januarv 6.
2004 and Sara 1orres. December 21. 2003.
93
Interiew with Olga. Januarv 8. 2004


30
Prostitution is erv tough psvchologicallv. and the women in prostitution I came to know
testiied to haing like a cold shield` around them to be able to surie mentallv the dailv risking
o lie and health and selling their bodv to unknown men:
Because what prostitution does in this person is to take awav vour identitv. it robs vou o
vour identitv. 1hat is. vou stop being a subject with rights to become an object o use. 1hen
vou turn into a monev machine I sav. 1hev gie vou monev and vou don`t hae eelings. vou
don`t hae anvthing.
94

1hev laughed oten but almost neer showed anv eelings that could be interpreted as signs o
weakness. such as crving. being sad or insecure. I also ound them more aggressie than the
aerage person. which thev also commented on to me: in order to lie in an enironment where
thev can neer reallv trust anvone thev hae to be constantlv prepared to ight. One o mv
interiewees. (laudia. has a woman she pavs a little bit o monev to protect her rom the other
prostituted women. \hen she irst began in prostitution. manv o the women in the area ought
with her and told her to go back to her own countrv. Since she has started to pav this woman.
nobodv has dared to touch her. and now she has also made some riends among the prostituted
women in the area.
1wo crimes against prostituted women hae receied much attention in Argentina: the
murders in Mar del Plata and the murder o Sandra (abrera in the citv o Rosario. I will brielv
bring them up here.
Since 1996. seeral women in prostitution hae been murdered in the citv o Mar del Plata.
1he exact number is uncertain since onlv some o the bodies hae been ound. whereas others
hae simplv disappeared. and it has not been possible to proe murder in all cases. but it is
somewhere between 2 and 42 women. At irst. the police put orward that the guiltv o the
crimes was a madman` killing prostituted women. loweer. pressures rom dierent eminist
organisation. mainlv the Mar del Plata organisation C.MM (asa de la Mujer Maltratada. or
louse o the Abused \oman, orced through urther inestigations which led to the
prosecution o ten police oicers and one ederal prosecutor or concealment and alse
testimonv. 1hese women were killed because thev knew too much o the prostitution-related
corruption among oicials.
95

1he 2th o Januarv 2004. the prostituted woman Sandra (abrera was shot and killed close to
the bus terminal o Rosario where she exercised prostitution. Sandra was the secretarv general o



94
Interiew with Sonia Sanchez. Januarv 6. 2004
95
lontenla 2001b. page 102. 1essa. Sonia: 2004a: Ni una mas`: vptevevto a. ]2 in Pagiva ]2. page 15 and
interiews with Magui Bellotti. lebruarv 25. 2004 and Llena Revnaga. December 23. 2003


31
.MM.R`. Rosario section
96
and had or a long time ought against the police or the rights o
women in prostitution. She had reported the heads o the Public Moralitv Diision o the
proincial police or harassing the women in street prostitution in order to protect the brothels.
which led to the replacement o the persons in charge. She had also reported seeral police
oicers or orcing women in prostitution to pav them bribes or not arresting them according to
the proincial code o oences prohibiting public and scandalous oers o sex`. ler nine-vear-
old daughter had been threatened to lie and thereore the two o them were under police
protection. It was hardlv eicient. howeer. since Sandra had receied seeral death threats while
under protection and at one occasion she had been beaten up in her own home while the guards
were outside. At the time o the murder her daughter was awav at a camp and Sandra was
thereore temporarilv not under protection. 1he connections between the police o Rosario and
the brothel owners are well known. (ommonlv the brothel owners pav a monthlv quota to the
police. which includes protection or their illegal actiities as well as keeping the competition
rom the street prostitution under control. It is a erv lucratie business to which Sandra (abrera
posed a threat. 1he murder has still not been resoled. but most suspect that the police hae
some connection to the crime. Onlv davs ater the murder. the Public Moralitv Diision o the
proincial police. created in the 1920`s to ight prostitution. was dissoled. 1he national secretarv
o human rights as well as some politicians rom the proincial goernment stated in newspapers
that thev were coninced that the police was inoled in the crime.
9

Another constant risk that the women in prostitution are exposed to is contracting sexuallv
transmitted inections. especiallv lIVAIDS. Although the number o AIDS patients in
Argentina is relatielv low: 21.251 in 2001. out o which 22.6 were women. according to the
Ministrv o lealth. the women in prostitution constitute an especiallv ulnerable categorv. 1he
lIVAIDS ratio is also higher in the citv o Buenos Aires than in the rest o the countrv.
98
Both
..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat and .MM.R ^aciovat work with lIVAIDS preention to teach the
women how to protect themseles.
99
loweer. it has become increasinglv common since the
economic crisis that clients oer to pav more i thev can hae sex without using a condom. Len
knowing the risks. there are sometimes women who simplv cannot aord to sav no.





96
AMMAR is an organisation or prostituted women in Argentina. urther described in section 5.5
9
Abaca. lernando: 2004: Disuelen la diision Moralidad de la Polica` Ctarv. 1essa 2004a and 2004b:
Lxplotadores v explotadas`: vptevevto a. ]2 in Pagiva ]2
98
RIMA 2002
99
See section 5.5 or a urther description o the work o AMMAR


32
5.4 RLSPONSLS IROM SOCIL1Y
vt it i. vot ror/ea ritb. tbere i. vo potiticat ritt. trov tbe gorervvevt tbere i. votbivg. - vterrier ritb
ovia avcbe.. ...ociaciv .MM.R Capitat ov avvary . 2001
1he Argentinian ederal goernment has no programs speciicallv or prostituted women. and
it does not een hae statistics on prostitution. Some proincial goernments gie inancial aid to
organisations working with prostitution issues: the goernment o Buenos Aires has or example
gien monev to some o .MM.R`.
100
projects. \hen asking about the oicial discussion on
prostitution I alwavs got the answer that such a discussion does not exist:
1he politicians don`t touch that theme. 1here are themes that in Argentina. this
hvpocritical thing o a countrv. are not touched. lere abortion is not talked about. here
prostitution is not talked about. it doesn`t matter to anvone. |.| 1o whom does it matter in
this countrv that poor women die 1o nobodv. \ell. the same thing happens with the theme
o prostitution. 1o whom does it matter that the onlv path thev hae is that o
prostitution
101

Some eminist organisations work on issues regarding prostitution. howeer. thev all work on
the theoretical leel: none o them hae anv ield work. Social work in the ield. among
prostituted women is in Buenos Aires perormed mainlv bv two orders o (atholic nuns: bv the
centre or ta. ervava. .aoratrice. and bv ta. Obtata. who run the Pverta .bierta Recreavao centre.
a. ervava. .aoratrice. work exclusielv with women in prostitution whereas Pverta .bierta
Recreavao work with women alone or with children who are in a situation o prostitution.
mendicancv or other orms o exclusion.
At the ervava. .aoratrice. centre. 150 women come once a week to pick up a bag o staple
ood. Around 0 women also participate in ree workshops organised at the centre. where thev
can learn basic computer skills. reading and writing and some skills that hopeullv can help them
to an additional income on the side o prostitution such as sewing or handcrating. Apart rom
the nuns and the teachers. the centre also has a psvchologist and a social worker to help the
women and their children. Len i the centre most o the time is unable to proide the women
with a change in their lie circumstances: thev proide them with a change rom the inside. where
thev are strengthened and learn that thev are persons with dignitv and rights.
102

1he Pverta .bierta Recreavao centre works with a more indiidualistic approach. Like the
ormer thev hae some workshops or the women to participate in. but apart rom that thev work



100
An organisation or prostituted women. described in section 5.5
101
Interiew with (ecilia Lipszvc. lebruarv 6. 2004
102
Interiew with Paula Barrionueo. lebruarv 2. 2004


33
to ind indiidual strategies based on the needs o each woman. 1hev also educate the women
about their rights and how to use the resources proided bv the state. such as health centres.
Some women onlv come once to the centre whereas some keep coming or vears. Last vear thev
were in contact with just oer 350 women.
103


5.5 AMMAR
J04

!e. rbat re .ay i. tbi.: )bat re aov`t bare to .tay qviet avy tovger. rbat re preacb i. tbat re are per.ov..
tbat re are citi.ev. ava tbat re bare rigbt.. . )bat re are per.ov. ava re ae.erre avotber cbavce. -
vterrier ritb teva Reyvaga. .MM.R ^aciovat ov Decevber 2. 200
.MM.R stands or ..ociaciv ae Mviere. Meretrice. ae ta .rgevtiva. which means Association
or \omen Prostitutes o Argentina. 1he organisation was ormed in Buenos Aires when
organising women in prostitution to ight or an eradication o the arbitrarv detentions when the
new constitution o Buenos Aires was to be written. It oiciallv became .MM.R in 1995 and is
ailiated with the largest workers` union in Argentina. C). - Cevtrat ae )rabaiaaore. .rgevtivo..
1he members o .MM.R call themseles sex workers` and the organisation is a union or sex
workers. Since the start in 1995 in Buenos Aires. .MM.R has grown and is now represented in
seeral Argentinian proinces with its national oice in Buenos Aires. Larlier. .MM.R onlv had
one oice in Buenos Aires. but as the organisation grew larger a local Buenos Aires oice was
needed apart rom the national oice. 1his was created in 2002. During this time the women
making up .MM.R Capitat. as the local section was called. began to question the relation with
the C). and the sex work discourse. which inallv lead to a rupture between .MM.R Capitat
and .MM.R ^aciovat. the national organisation. 1he women making up the direction o
.MM.R Capitat then ormed ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat. an organisation that dissociates itsel
rom the unionising o women in prostitution and that chooses to denominate themseles
women in a prostitution situation`. .MM.R ^aciovat has 150 members all oer the countrv
whereas ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat has around 400 in Buenos Aires.
Both organisations work with similar issues. 1hev work toward politicians and other
organisations or them to help improing the realitv the women in prostitution lie in and thev
also do extensie work in lIVAIDS-preention: teaching the women how to protect
themseles and handing out ree preseraties. Both organisations organise arious workshops



103
Interiew with Vernica Sereno. lebruarv 19. 2004
104
1he inormation in this section is based on mv interiews with Llena Revnaga. December 23. 2003. and Sonia
Sanchez. Januarv 6. 2004 and the article bv Santoro. Sonia: 2003: Prostitucin. no trabajo`: vptevevto a. ]2 in
Pagiva ]2


34
or strengthening the women. teaching them about their rights and giing them dierent skills.
.MM.R ^aciovat also has schools with primarv education in some cities. \hen interiewing
Llena Revnaga and Sonia Sanchez. the secretarv generals o .MM.R ^aciovat and ..ociaciv
.MM.R Capitat respectielv. it seemed to me thev had manv things in common. apart rom the
issue o what to call prostitution and the women in it. Both want their organisations to help
women ind alternaties so that thev can get awav rom the streets. 1hev also ind prostitution
diicult and traumatising. Llena Revnaga o .MM.R ^aciovat said that their utopia was that no
woman would hae to go and stand in a street corner or suriing. that i somebodv does it. it
should not be or necessitv. but because thev reallv want to. I then asked her whether there reallv
are women in prostitution because thev want to and she answered no:
Mavbe when vou don`t hae the consciousness o manv things vou think vou`re working
because vou want to. but when vou get organised and start to work on vour sel esteem. and
vou start to raise vour sel esteem vou realise the harm vou did to voursel in the street
corner.
I ound this position a bit contradictorv. as well as the whole idea o organising prostituted
women in a union. ighting or it to be recognised as anv other job. when at the same time
admitting that it is a traumatising actiitv which nobodv reallv wants to be in and working to help
people get out o it. loweer. I do see the idea itsel o organising prostituted women. as well as
anv other marginalised or oppressed group in societv. as erv good. lor women in prostitution it
is necessarv to organise to strengthen themseles as digniied human beings and ight together
or their human rights to be respected and or putting an end to the exploitation that prostitution
means. But to unionise and ight or their rights as workers seems to me as contra productie as
it means in the case o .MM.R ^aciovat ighting or prostitution to be alued as a proession
like anv other and in that wav een irmer establish it as a part o societv and at the same time
ighting or it to be eradicated. \hat can be seen as positie in the sex work`-ideologv o
.MM.R ^aciovat is that it aoids ictimisation o the women. it emphasises them as acting
subjects more than the terminologv o women in a prostitution situation` does. 1his can itsel
work as strengthening. not alwavs haing to see onesel as a ictim. loweer. the term sex
worker` labels the woman with a more or less permanent identitv. whereas woman in a
prostitution situation` neer labels the woman as a prostitute but rather as no more than a woman
who or the moment inds hersel in a situation o prostitution. which also signals that change is
possible.
..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat has a sewing workshop in which 24 prostituted women participate
and that I isited at least once or twice a week during mv ield studv. 1he women come there
eerv morning. Mondav through 1hursdav. and learn how to sew. lor participating in the


35
workshop thev receie 200 pesos
105
per month. 1he workshop. which is a six month long project.
is unded bv the goernment o Buenos Aires. 1he idea o the workshop is that the women can
learn sewing and through that skill ind an alternatie income to prostitution bv sewing clothes to
sell. loweer. I am doubtul to whether it reallv reaches its aims. 1he teacher onlv comes once or
sometimes twice a week and there are onlv two sewing machines and one oerlock machine or
24 persons. Verv oten the women come and just wait or the time to pass. since thev could not
aord to buv abrics to sew something rom
106
or thev could not get access to one o the sewing
machine. Despite this I ound the workshop erv aluable since it gies the women a reuge
where thev are all in the same situation and do not need to eel ashamed beore each other. In
addition. it gies them a possibilitv to get awav rom the streets or a little while. Manv o the
women commented to me that thev ound it relieing to come there. since there thev could just
socialise and did not hae to think about soon haing to go and stand on a street corner again.




105
200 Argentinian pesos are approximatelv 60 euro June 2004,
106
1he goernment o Buenos Aires is supposed to reimburse the women or the monev thev spend on abrics. but
during the time o mv ield studv thev had still not done that.


36
6. 1HL PROS1I1U1LD WOMLN:
AN ANALYSIS BASLD ON 1HL S1UDY
In this chapter I aim to describe and analvse the situation o the women in prostitution. using
the discussion in the theoretical ramework as a point o departure and ocusing on their
economic realitv and prostitution as a surial strategv.

6.J WHO ARL 1HL PROS1I1U1LD WOMLN?
ir.t ot att are re rovev. !e are votber.. gravavotber.. torer.. ava atter att tbat. a. ta.t. are re rovev iv
pro.titvtiov.- vterrier ritb ovia avcbe.. ...ociaciv .MM.R Capitat ov avvary . 2001
1he prostituted women in ocus in this essav are poor women. 1hev are not necessarilv
below the poertv line. at least not constantlv. but thev all hae in common haing just enough to
coer their needs and not much more. 1he poertv line is diicult to applv in the case o women
in prostitution since their income is so insecure. Sometimes thev can stand hours or een davs on
their street corner without making a single peso. whereas on occasions thev can make up to 100
pesos
10
in a dav. Most o them come rom poor backgrounds and hae erv little education and
thereore small possibilities o inding a job. Manv o them also come rom the poorer
neighbouring countries. such as Paraguav. Boliia and Peru. countries in which manv. especiallv
rom the poorer sectors o societv. are o Indian descent or mestizas. which adds racial
discrimination to the obstacles hindering them rom entering the labour market. Among the poor
women in prostitution in Argentina. women o all ages are represented. Verv manv are voung
girls. oten working in brothels or or a pimp i thev are in the street. On the other end o the
scale there are women up to 0 vears old. een i it is not so common. in prostitution in the
streets.

6.1.1 1lL \OMLN IN M\ MA1LRIAL
In total I interiewed ie women currentlv in prostitution. and in addition to that two
ormerlv prostituted women. whom I interiewed primarilv as representaties or .MM.R
^aciovat and ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat.
108
In this section I will shortlv present the ie women
currentlv in prostitution. 1hev all exercise prostitution in the neighbourhoods o tore. and
Cov.titvciv. 1hese two together with the neighbourhood Ovce are the ones most known in
Buenos Aires or being poor neighbourhoods with a lot o prostitution. All women except



10
100 Argentinian pesos are approximatelv 30 euro June 2004,
108
1hese two women are Llena Revnaga and Sonia Sanchez. respectielv.


37
DeliaAnita participate in ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat`. sewing workshop described in section 5.5.
In all cases except Olga and DeliaAnita I use inented names. on the request o the interiewee
to protect their anonvmitv.
Otga. 1] year. ota. Olga came to Buenos Aires rom the Misiones proince in the northeast o
Argentina in 1984 to work. She worked mainlv as a maid in priate homes. until 1986. when she
went into prostitution or the irst time. She had become unemploved and was unable to ind
another job. ler situation was urgent. due to the act that she had an asthmatic son or whom
she needed to buv medicines. She staved in prostitution or a vear and a hal. until she met a man
and ormed a relation. Liing with him. she had the possibilitv to look or jobs. and during manv
vears she let the world o prostitution behind. In the vear 2000. her partner died. and she
became unemploved. Because she was unable to pav the rent. she returned to Misiones where she
has a house. to open a hairdressing salon. since she is a trained hairdresser. But then the
dealuation o the peso came and due to haing erv little monev and no products to work with
she decided to go to Buenos Aires again to ind a lie-in job as a maid in a priate home. She
lied three months with her brother trving to ind a job. eeling erv uncomortable or haing to
lie o somebodv else. beore she gae up and returned to the streets. In Olga`s case there are
alternaties. she savs she could work in a hairdressing salon. but that pavs erv badlv. it would not
een be suicient to pav her rent and een less her other liing expenses. Since her children now
hae moed out and she onlv has hersel to support. she is able to put awav a little bit o monev
each month and her goal is to open her own hairdressing salon. She wants to stav maximum one
more vear in the streets.
ervavaa. 2 year. ota.
]0
lernanda is rom a poorer South American countrv and came to
Buenos Aires twele vears ago to look or work. At irst. she worked as a cleaner in a clinic. Soon.
the owner o the clinic asked her to arrange her papers. in order to be able to stav and work
legallv in the countrv. 1o receie a isa. she had to hae an emplovment contract. which she did
not hae. and was not able to get without the legal papers. Since she had to send monev or her
two children who had staved in her home countrv. she started working in a sauna`
110
. 1here she
staved until the sauna was orced to close down ater police raids. and manv o the girls there
who could not ind other jobs began with prostitution in the streets. including lernanda. She
maintains hersel and her three children. who now lie with her. It is erv diicult economicallv



109
1he name has been changed and some reealing acts in this storv hae been disclosed. at the request o the
interiewee. to keep her anonvmitv.
110
Brothels in Argentina are requentlv disguised saunas` or massage parlours`. as the actiities that can be supposed
to take place in such a place are not illegal. whereas brothel prostitution is.


38
and she also tries to do other things. like selling things in the streets to add to her income. \hen
she irst came to Argentina. she could hae gotten another job i onlv she had had the legal
documentation. Now. when she is legallv documented in Argentina. it is almost impossible to
ind a job although she is educated. due to the high unemplovment. her lack o working
experience. and also the structural racism discriminating Peruians. Boliians. Paraguavans.
Indians and dark-skinned people in general.
Carta. 2 year. ota.
]]]
(arla has a lie historv o poertv and exploitation. She grew up with her
grandmother in the countrvside in a poor Argentinian proince and ater haing been taken awav
bv her mother to lie in Buenos Aires or a while she was sent back to her proince to lie with
her ather whom she hardlv knew. 1here she was sexuallv abused and inallv raped bv the ather`s
wie`s brother who lied in the house. lrom the rape she became pregnant. An abortion was
impossible both due to the late discoerv o the pregnancv and the poor economic conditions o
the amilv
112
and at 13 vears o age she gae birth to a son. ler grandmother ound out what had
happened and made sure the rapist was imprisoned or one vear, and took care o her son until
(arla turned 21. while she went back to Buenos Aires to lie with her mother. She had some jobs
in cleaning and as a helper in a sewing workshop and a ew vears later she had another babv.
\hen the babv was still voung and (arla was 1 vears old. her mother kicked her out o their
home and that was when (arla was introduced to prostitution. She hardlv had monev to eed her
babv. so her older sister took her to the sauna where she exercised prostitution. \hen she ound
out what she had to do or the monev she cried and reused. but was orced bv the man who had
paid or using her. Although she was erv voung and erv araid she savs that she slowlv got used
to being there. Ater a while it got too diicult working in the sauna because o arious police
raids and (arla. among other girls. began prostituting hersel on the streets. \hen her bovriend
and also ather o her second and third children ound out she was in prostitution he got angrv
and took their children and returned to his neighbouring home countrv. She has not had anv
contact with her children or oer three vears. She now lies with her oldest son who does not
know anvthing o neither who his ather was nor what his mother does or a liing. She wants to
get out o prostitution as soon as possible:
Ater this vear I am leaing it. Len i I am dving o hunger in mv house I will leae it.



111
1he name and some reealing acts in this storv hae been changed. at the request o the interiewee. to keep her
anonvmitv.
112
Although. as mentioned in section 4.1. abortion is legal in Argentina in the cases o danger or the woman`s lie
and health. rape and incest. it is generallv diicult to get a legal abortion and usuallv airlv expensie. In the case o
(arla. haing a legal abortion was not an issue since she did not dare to tell her ather that she had been raped and bv
whom.


39
Not so much or economic reasons. although economicallv she is barelv able to stav aboe the
surace. as or saing her mental health.
Detia.vita. 10 year. ota. Delia works under the name Anita. and she asked me to use both
these names in the essav. DeliaAnita has been in prostitution since the economic crisis. when
she lost her jobs and was unable to ind other ones. Since 10 vears ago she is separated rom her
husband and takes care alone o their three children. 1hev all studv. so without her working it
was impossible to maintain them. She then got to know a woman who was in street prostitution
and started inding out more about it until DeliaAnita inallv begun hersel. She savs that it was
diicult at irst to be exposed beore societv and she chose to tell her children right awav.
DeliaAnita is erv actie in a let-wing political partv and also in .MM.R ^aciovat and she
indicates hersel as a sex worker. She savs that at the time she had no alternatie to prostitution.
since she was on the edge o ruin. but since then other alternaties hae turned up and staving in
prostitution is now her own choice. Since she begun in prostitution her economic lie conditions
hae changed or the better. ler three children are still in school and she is studving social
psvchologv at the uniersitv. She wants to inish her studies and then start working in that
proession. leaing prostitution behind.
Ctavaia. :2 year. ota.
]]
(laudia is rom a poorer neighbouring countrv and came to Argentina
almost 20 vears ago. She came with her new husband her irst husband and ather o her
children had died, to work and send monev back to her three children so thev would be able to
studv in their home countrv. She had arious jobs during the vears. and the last one she had was
as a kitchen assistant. But the other girl who worked with her brought her 18 vear-old cousin who
demanded less salarv than (laudia and so she lost her job. Due to age-discrimination and
probablv also racial discrimination it was impossible or her to ind another job. She knew a
woman alreadv in prostitution and so she started accompanving her obsering and learning until
ater three months she went with her irst client. She has now been in prostitution or a vear and
is constantlv looking or a job since she wants to get out o it. Neither her husband nor her
children know what she does: to her husband she savs she works in a workshop. She and her
husband lie on the monev he makes and she saes 10 pesos
114
eerv dav or buving a ticket to
her countrv and the rest she sends back to her voungest child who is still studving. ler dream is
to go back to her countrv to be with her children and take care o her grandchildren.




113
1he name and some reealing acts in this storv hae been changed. at the request o the interiewee. to keep her
anonvmitv.
114
10 Argentinian pesos are approximatelv 3 euro June 2004,


40
6.2 WHY PROS1I1U1ION?
.re yov goivg to aie trov bvvger. ^o. yov bare to go ovt. t yov rob yov go to pri.ov. .trigbt. .o tbev yov
ao tbi.. - vterrier ritb ovia avcbe.. ..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat ov avvary . 2001
\hen inding prostituted women to interiew. one o the most important criteria was that
one o their main reasons or entering prostitution should be economic necessitv. since the ocus
o this essav is on the connection between prostitution and poertv. \hat thev also all hae in
common is some kind o obstacle or them to enter the labour market. whether it be age.
ethnicitv or lack o education. which made them eel that there were no other alternaties let or
them but prostitution:
1he onlv resort to pav all mv debts is the street. I hae to be in the street.
115

But poertv is onlv one contributing reason or women to end up in prostitution. as the eminist
actiist Magui Bellotti pointed out in mv interiew with her:
\ell. but I think that in general vou could sav that the situations o poertv. although
thev are not the cause o prostitution. thev do nourish it. without doubt. as there is a lack o
jobs or when there are situations o miserv. when there are erv bad jobs. the possibilitv o
selling vour bodv is alwavs a possibilitv or the women.
I poertv then is onlv a contributing actor but not the direct cause o prostitution. the
question remains whv these women are in prostitution. and more speciicallv. whv thev are in
prostitution when there are manv other just as poor women who are not 1he sociologist (ecilia
Lipszvc expressed her hvpothesis to me. one that can also sometimes be ound in literature on
prostitution: that all women in prostitution hae been ictims o sexual abuse. Not all ictims o
sexual abuse become prostituted women. but the other wav around. ves. 1his hvpothesis is erv
diicult to proe since large quantitatie studies would be needed. I hae no wav to conirm
whether it is true or not. since I do not hae enough empirical material and since it was not
something I asked the interiewees about. One o mv interiewees. (arla. told me in the
interiew without me asking about it that she had been sexuallv abused and raped as a child.
Manv o the other women come rom abusie amilies with much iolence in their homes and I
deinitelv hold it or erv possible that sexuallv abused women are at least oerrepresented among
women in prostitution. laing a historv o sexual abuse and iolation o the personal integritv
could mean getting used to iewing one`s bodv as an object o use or others and being alued as
a bodv and not as a person. 1hat might make the step to prostitution shorter. or at least the



115
Interiew with (arla. Januarv 20. 2004


41
thought o it less alien. Although actuallv entering into prostitution is probablv just as diicult or
eervbodv. (arla told me about the irst time a man paid to hae sex with her:
And well. he took o mv panties and then what had to occur occurred. but or me it was
horrible. lor me it was horrible. Like that no. It was the worst thing that. I elt reallv bad.
erv dirtv. erv. I elt like a erv dirtv woman.
All the other women I interiewed conirmed that the beginning was erv diicult until thev got
used to it and learned to turn o`.
Important to keep in mind. howeer. when analvsing whv these women hae entered
prostitution is that no matter what the reason or these women to be in prostitution. the act
remains that thev would not be there i it were not or the existence o a male demand or buving
sexual access to women`s bodies. No matter how much poertv there is in societv. nobodv would
enter prostitution i there were no men seeing it as their right to satisv themseles sexuallv at the
cost o some women. 1hereore I see demand as the most direct cause o prostitution. whereas
poertv is onlv a actor assuring the supplv to meet the demand.
In manv wavs the women in mv studv are ictims o an oppressie svstem and a erv unair
lot in lie. loweer. I eel that it is important not to ictimise them too much since that turns
them into objects. Just as anvbodv else. thev are acting subjects within their own lies. onlv with
much more scarce possibilities to change their situation. Prostitution is not an actiitv anvone o
them would like to be in i thev had all the choices o the world. but seen rom where thev stand
in lie. prostitution might become a rational choice made rom economic desperation. Another
actor contributing to the act that thev. and not some other poor women. got into prostitution
is. I think. mere coincidence. In addition to the economic necessitv actor and that o haing a
background o abuse. discussed aboe. it seems manv just happened to` end up in prostitution.
erv oten through knowing another woman alreadv exercising prostitution. and through her
learning about it. loweer. irrespectie o how coincidental their entrance in prostitution mav
hae been. the coincidence happens within a structure which is erv unaourable or them. lad
their lie situation been another. it would most likelv not hae led to them entering prostitution.

6.3 1HL IMPAC1 OI 1HL LCONOMIC CRISIS
.va be.iae.. betore yov ror/ea vaybe .i. .erev bovr. ava yov tett ritb gooa vovey. )oaay tbe rovev are
.tavaivg tor tretre bovr.. tavaivg ava .tavaivg. ava vaybe tbey cove tbere covtevt ava tbey teare ritb a great
.aave... ecav.e it i. vavy bovr.. - vterrier ritb teva Reyvaga. .MM.R ^aciovat ov Decevber 2.
200
As mentioned beore. in Argentina there do not exist anv statistics on prostitution. It is
thereore impossible to gie anv numbers on how much prostitution has increased since the


42
economic crisis. \hat is possible. on the other hand. is to sav that it has increased. Mv readings
and mv interiewees airm the same act: no statistics are needed to see with the naked eve that
there are manv more women in the streets exercising prostitution now than a couple o vears ago.
Another important change that the economic crisis has brought with it. which manv o mv
interiewees pointed out. is that not onlv are there more women in prostitution but the age
spectrum has also widened. In particular there are more and vounger girls now than beore. but it
has also widened a bit in the other direction - middle aged women or een some up to 60 or 0
vears old who hae neer prostituted themseles beore hae now been orced to go into the
streets to sell their bodies.
Lconomicallv. it has also become more diicult since the economic crisis. Beore.
prostitution could be used as a wav to improe the economic liing conditions:
No. with the economic crisis this is to surie. It`s not to improe anvthing. |.| In the
vear `95. `94. vou said all right. vou worked and vou dedicated voursel and vou could buv
vour house. I alwavs lied erv well. erv well with mv work.
116

Lxercising prostitution in a brothel used to gie much better monev than the streets. especiallv
or voung girls who are more attractie to the clients. like (arla who was 1 vears old when she
begun. Now. it is miserable:
Now. to gather monev it costs vou more than beore. Beore sometimes no. like I told
vou that in a sauna I made 300. 400 pesos per dav.
11
Per dav I made that. In how manv
hours lrom eight to eight. 1odav no. the saunas are. 5 pesos thev gie vou.
118
And hal an
hour. one hour vou hae to be with the client. Or two hours. And vou hae to gie it to him
twice. 1he saunas. the saunas are no longer useul. onlv the street.
119

At the same time as the number o women in prostitution has increased. the number o
clients has decreased. 1here are ewer new clients. and the regular ones come more seldom
nowadavs:
1he clients that normallv used to come twice a month or once a week now come eerv
other month or once a month. |.| 1odav it is so uncertain. 1odav vou can`t wait. except i
thev call vou on the phone and sav look. I`ll come bv. \ou can`t wait. vou can`t wait or
anvbodv nowadavs.
120

Since there are more women in prostitution. the competition or the clients has hardened.
which in turn has led to a all in the prices. In general. the women charge between 20 and 30



116
Interiew with Llena Revnaga. December 23. 2003
11
300. 400 Argentinian pesos were at the time she is reerring to equialent to 300. 400 American dollars.
118
5 Argentinian pesos todav are approximatelv 1.5 euro June 2004,
119
Interiew with (arla. Januarv 20. 2004
120
Interiew with Olga. Januarv 8. 2004


43
pesos
121
. depending a bit on what the client wants to do. loweer. with the economicallv
desperate situation most o the women are in. it is common that the prices can go een lower:
1here are girls who go or 10 pesos. lor 10 pesos. or 15 pesos. Len or 5 pesos. |.|
\hat suits me are the ones like 30 or 40. 1he ones or 10 or 15 pesos don`t suit me. \ith
how manv do I hae to go then to make a ew pesos
122

1his situation leads to the clients getting used to being able to use a woman`s bodv or onlv a
ew pesos. Beore. the rule was that the woman put the price or her own bodv. whereas now the
clients take adantage o the women`s necessitv and oten trv to bargain and lower the prices
een more. I thev do not get it as low as thev want. thev just moe on to the next woman.

6.4 GL11ING OU1 OI PROS1I1U1ION
^o. aov`t .ee. Maybe tbere i. a ray ovt. bvt aov`t .ee it. - vterrier ritb Cecitia ip..yc ov
ebrvary . 2001
None o all the prostituted women I met wanted to stav in prostitution or een knew anvone
else who wanted to. I asked most o mv interiewees i thev then saw a wav out o prostitution.
but the responses were usuallv erv negatie. 1here are a number o obstacles hindering them
rom changing their lie situations. the most obious one or manv being not haing the
possibilitv to escape rom the control o a pimp or a brothel owner. But een or those who
exercise prostitution independentlv`. getting out is a diicult task.
It is erv common that the poor women in prostitution are single mothers. which complicates
their possibilities o getting a job. Most jobs aailable or poor. uneducated women are jobs that
mean long work davs. as or example housemaids. at a actorv or as a cashier in a supermarket. A
working shit o twele hours is nothing unusual. 1hese jobs thereore become practicallv
inaccessible i thev cannot leae their children alone or that long and hae nobodv else who can
take care o them. A prerequisite or getting a job is almost alwavs education. at least secondarv
school. erv oten experience. and reerences. Lacking this. the chances o getting a job diminish
drasticallv. 1here are at least two important discriminatorv actors on the labour market: racist
discrimination and age discrimination. 1here is a widespread racism in the Argentinian societv
against people rom the poorer neighbouring countries Paraguav. Boliia and Peru. and especiallv
against those o Indian descent. Manv o the poor women in prostitution are rom these
countries and came to Argentina during the time it was the richest countrv in South America in



121
20 and 30 Argentinian pesos are approximatelv 6 and 9 Luro respectielv June 2004,
122
Interiew with (arla. Januarv 20. 2004. 5 Argentinian pesos are approximatelv 1.5 euro. 10 pesos 3 euro. 15 pesos
4.5 euro. 30 pesos 9 euro and 40 pesos 12 euro June 2004,


44
order to work and send monev home to their amilies. Now manv o them hae ended up
without a job and without monev to return to their home countries. Onlv in erv ew cases mav
their origins actuallv be an adantage on the Argentinian labour market: i thev manage to ind an
emplover rom their own countrv. who sometimes preers to hire countrvmen. Out o the ew
jobs aailable. most are or voung women. not older than 25 vears. 1hereore. it is a bit easier or
the vounger women. thev still hae a chance to get into the labour market which is more open to
them. but as Paula Barrionueo at the ervava. .aoratrice. centre pointed out in mv interiew
with her. it is still diicult since manv at the age o twentv alreadv hae two or three children to
take care o and in manv cases also the responsibilitv or their vounger siblings.
As mentioned earlier. the economic crisis has contributed to making it een more diicult to
get out o prostitution. 1here hardlv exist anv job opportunities anv longer and with the high
unemplovment rates the competition or the jobs that do exist is hard. 1he economic realitv or
the women in prostitution was also dierent beore the economic crisis. 1en vears ago it was
possible to sae monev rom prostitution and that wav inding a wav out through or example
putting up a small business. Now. prostitution is a wav o suriing rom one dav to the next.
Both Llena Revnaga and Sonia Sanchez. the secretarv generals o .MM.R ^aciovat and
..ociaciv .MM.R Capitat respectielv. let prostitution beore the economic crisis. 1hev are also
both strong women who know what thev want and work hard to get there.
loweer. there are not onlv concrete obstacles. such as lack o other alternaties and
discrimination on the labour market. Prostitution has hard psvchological eects on the women.
and breaks down their sel-esteem. It can be diicult to beliee that one is able to do anvthing
else. or een deseres anvthing else. as Sonia Sanchez described: haing erv little sel-esteem it
can be diicult recognise onesel as a person and a subject with rights. 1hen it costs a lot to take
the decision to start studving. or example. Prostitution is a bad alternatie. but the ear o change
is sometimes stronger. Len i the women eel bad rom being in prostitution and on the one
hand want to leae it. it is on the other hand one o the ew situations thev in some wav hae
control oer and know how it works. 1o leae that one thing or something totallv unknown can
be erv rightening. It is not easv and takes both willpower and energv. \ith the restrained
economic situation these women are in. almost all their energv goes to just making ends meet in
their eervdav lies. \here shall thev ind the energv to change those lies 1he people I
interiewed rom .MM.R and the nun congregations. working directlv with women in
prostitution. sav their work has become more diicult since the economic crisis:
|.| thev begin to create consciousness and I don`t want to work anvmore`. But the
thing is also. what do we do In a countrv where there is. I don`t know. 20 unemplovment.


45
what do we do 1hen or the companions |the women in prostitution. mv note|. mavbe it
costs them een more to work when thev`e begun to create consciousness.
123

It has become diicult since thev can help strengthening the women psvchologicallv. but thev
hae no longer anv alternaties to oer when the women begin to realise that thev not onlv want
to. but that thev actuallv can. are strong enough to. get out o prostitution.
One alternatie or getting out o prostitution is inding a partner. One o mv interiewees.
Olga. ound a partner who could help supporting her and she let prostitution behind or manv
vears. until her partner died and she had no other alternatie but to go back to the streets. 1he
sister o (arla. who has also been in prostitution or a erv long time. let when she ound a
partner who had his own workshop. She is now selling clothes in the streets and at markets. In
such situations. howeer. the women maintain a strong dependencv o men and are erv
ulnerable. as the example o Olga shows. but it is in most cases probablv a better alternatie
than staving in prostitution.
One o the prostituted women I interiewed. DeliaAnita is an exception to the general rule.
She has since she began exercising prostitution started studving and is halwav through her
uniersitv degree. She was alreadv beore she got into prostitution erv actie in a let-wing partv
and savs that she has or a long time indicated human rights. as a woman. a citizen. and a
person. aboe all. 1hereore. she has alwavs iewed hersel as a citizen with dignitv and rights just
like anvone else. She also has a erv theoretical understanding o prostitution where she sees it as
a socioeconomic cultural construction bv the svstem. attaching thousands o women to this
situation.
And that the irst to hae prostituted the woman in Argentina was the corrupt
goernmental svstem that we hae had or 15 vears now.
124

1his iew probablv helps her to distance hersel rom the actiitv and preents it rom breaking
her down mentallv. een i she admits that since she began to exercise prostitution it has been
erv hard or her to relate to men outside o prostitution. She also has a concrete plan or how to
leae prostitution and is working towards it through her studies. She is well aware that it will be
diicult and is planning to leae prostitution slowlv. since she savs prostitution creates an
attachment to the streets`. All women I interiewed dream o getting out o prostitution. but
DeliaAnita is probablv the one most likelv to actuallv make it.





123
Interiew with Llena Revnaga. December 23. 2003
124
Interiew with DeliaAnita. lebruarv 5. 2004


46
6.5 CAN PROS1I1U1ION BL A VIABLL SURVIVAL S1RA1LGY?
.va rett. it`. a bit covpticatea vy tite. o att rigbt. t`. .vrririvg. reryboay cav. - vterrier ritb Carta
ov avvary 20. 2001
1he term surial strategv` is. as mentioned in mv discussion o the theoretical ramework.
used to reer to wavs in which a household or another orm o economic unit tries to obtain the
basic necessities or surial. 1his complicates its applicabilitv to prostitution a bit. since
prostitution is a erv indiidual actiitv. It is common that the women in prostitution who are
married conceal what thev do or their husbands and also or their children. loweer. as
DeliaAnita points out. it is not impossible that the husbands do know in manv cases. thev just
choose to ignore it:
|.| when the crisis came manv o the women who were housewies. manv hae had to
go out on the street. 1o me it seems that in those cases ves. the husband has to know.
because there was no monev. there was no monev. the wie goes out. she comes back with
monev. but it seems to me that there is a great ear. that vou shouldn`t talk about that.
125

In that wav. prostitution can be a surial strategv or the women. but or the household. the
economic unit o which thev orm a part it is not. or at least not openlv. 1hus. these women use
prostitution as a wav o helping the household`s surial. but the household itsel does not hae
prostitution explicitlv as a part o its surial strategv.
loweer. surial is not onlv a matter o economv. low much is it worth or one person to
sacriice to surie As manv hae pointed out. prostitution is erv traumatising and manv o the
women hae their own personal surial strategies just to surie mentallv within prostitution:
\ou hae to take whoeer comes to vou. And well. I learned to oercome that. \hen I
go inside I sav it will end. I close mv eves and sav that it will end. it will end. I know it will
end. And mv mind is somewhere else. I think that this monev will help me. and o other
things when I`m with a guv. that no. that it`s not me. that it`s another person. Because i I
start to think that it`s me I go crazv.
126

\ith the social stigmatisation connected to prostitution. manv o the women do not een tell
their amilies what thev do. and thev cannot count on anv understanding rom societv either.
1hereore thev are erv oten all alone ighting or their amilv`s surial. in a mentallv destructie
actiitv without the support o the ones or whom thev are sacriicing themseles.
Prostitution also brings with it other psvchological side eects that make it diicult to use as
a surial strategv. Manv hae diiculties saing the monev thev earn rom prostitution. 1his has



125
Interiew with DeliaAnita. lebruarv 5. 2004
126
Interiew with (arla. Januarv 20. 2004


47
not onlv to do with insuicient education and knowledge about how to administer monev and
budget. but also with the act that the monev comes rom prostitution. One o mv interiewees.
the sexual educator. Sara 1orres points out that studies made on women in prostitution show
that thev hae svmptoms o post-traumatic stress. One thing that happens with them is that
manv cannot keep the monev. thev spend it right awav. 1he monev is connected to the
humiliation o selling one`s bodv. Len i manv. beore the crisis. made enough monev to be able
to sae and buv a house. or example. thev did not do it. 1he ew that manage to sae their
monev are also the same that manage to get out o prostitution.
loweer. the realitv ater the economic crisis is harsh or the sector o women in prostitution
included in this studv:
It is suriing. It is that. suriing. 1odav eervbodv is suriing in Argentina. 1he
majoritv. It is suriing. But thev pav the consequences.
12

Being able to earn enough monev to improe their liing conditions is a dream erv distant rom
realitv or manv. lor women with children it is especiallv diicult. as lernanda testiies:
It costs vou: vou trv to do one thing or another to be able to maintain the three kids. lor
example. I also sell in the streets. as a peddler. I sell small things to be able to hae another
income or the kids.
1he income is also erv insecure. None o the women I interiewed could gie anv numbers on
more or less how much thev earned each month. 1hev do not know rom one dav to the next
whether thev will hae monev or not:
It is erv insecure. But on Saturdavs vou can alwavs get vour 50 pesos. On weekdavs 10
pesos. 20 pesos. sometimes nothing.
128

(onsidering the diicult economic situation most o these prostituted women are in and the
lack o uture prospects thev lie with. I see it as an impossibilitv iewing prostitution as a iable
surial strategv. Neertheless. it could be considered a surial strategv. een i it is not an
especiallv good one. I ind it diicult. howeer. to use the concept o surial strategv or the
prostitution o these women. 1he expression o strategv itsel has too manv connotations to the
existence o a choice: it implies that these women could take a look at the alternaties aailable
and choose prostitution as the best wav o reaching a set goal. 1hese women all sav that
prostitution was their onlv alternatie. and in this wav it is not a strategv chosen bv them. but



12
Interiew with Sonia Sanchez. Januarv 6. 2004
128
Interiew with (laudia. lebruarv 26. 2004. 50 Argentinian pesos are approximatelv 15 euro. 20 pesos 6 euro and
10 pesos 3 euro June 2004,


48
rather their onlv wav o suriing. I thereore preer the expression that DeliaAnita used in mv
interiew with her:
1hen I see mv job as a cause. and as a surial alternatie.
Prostitution in the context o eminisation o poertv in Argentina is not an explicit strategv. but
rather an alternatie. erv oten the onlv one aailable. or surial.



49
7. CONCLUDING DISCUSSION
Bv examining the situation or women in prostitution in Argentina. within the context o
eminisation o poertv. I hae in this studv illustrated how prostitution can be used as a wav o
suriing. 1his chapter sums up some o the indings o the studv.
1he aim o the essav was to do a descriptie case studv o prostitution in Argentina. treating
it as a case o eminisation o poertv. under the presumption that there is a causal relation
between the increase in prostitution and the increasing poertv in the wake o the economic
crisis. 1he main research question was how prostitution can be understood as a surial strategv
in the context o eminisation o poertv.
lor a number o reasons more thoroughlv discussed in section 6.5 aboe. I ind it diicult to
use the concept surial strategv or the women in mv studv. 1hev are not in prostitution because
thev hae chosen it as their strategv or surial: rather thev are in prostitution because thev elt
that it was their onlv alternatie. Moreoer. it is not an actiitv anv o them want to stav in. I
thereore preer to see it or the indiidual women as a surial alternatie. 1hus. onlv when
generalising on poertv and looking at the dierent wavs in which poor people trv to obtain their
basic necessities or surial do I eel that it is possible to talk about prostitution as a surial
strategv among others.
1his essav ocuses on prostitution and poertv and the relations between the two. 1he
women in the studv all stated poertv as their main reason or entering prostitution. Poertv can
work as a push actor or women to enter prostitution. but it is not the cause or the existence o
prostitution. Prostitution is a logical eect o the combination o the svstems o patriarchv and
capitalism. \ithin patriarchv. women are subordinated to men and in manv wavs seen as their
propertv and objectiied. As the capitalistic svstem promotes a commercialisation o almost
eervthing. it is onlv a logical consequence that also women. iewed as objects bv patriarchv. can
be bought. sold and used bv men. 1hus. poertv is onlv a actor contributing a constant supplv o
women to meet the male demand. Prostitution can diminish with a decrease in poertv. but it can
onlv cease to exist with the svstem claiming men`s right to pav or using a woman`s bodv sexuallv
coming to an end.
Nothing is eer without context. \omen do not enter prostitution due to an independent
choice: thev do so within the context o a patriarchal svstem where women are subordinated to
men. and in the speciic case o this studv. thev also do so within the context o eminisation o
poertv. It is important to understand the context in which actions are taken in order to reach an
understanding o whv indiiduals act in a certain wav. In this case the kevs to understanding whv
these women are in prostitution lav in the gender power structures in relation to prostitution as


50
described in the theoretical point o departure and in the structural tendencv captured through
the concept o eminisation o poertv. During mv ield studv and mv work with the essav.
howeer. I came to realise that gender power structures are onlv a part o the structural context
in which prostitution takes place. Also erv important actors or the population ocused on in
the studv are the relations o power related to class and ethnicitv. I it were not or the existence
o patriarchal gender relations prostitution would not exist. as discussed in the paragraph aboe.
but these women would not be where thev are in prostitution i it were not or belonging to the
socioeconomic class and ethnic group that thev do. All o mv interiewees were not rom
neighbouring countries with more Indian traits in their population. but all o them had a more or
less dark complexion and black hair. 1he world o prostitution is stronglv hierarchicallv diided
along the lines o class and ethnicitv. and I was oten told bv the women in the studv that I with
mv white skin and. bv Argentinian standards. blond hair could exercise prostitution in the centre
o Buenos Aires and make good monev. 1here is also a market or voung. well-educated and
beautiul women as call-girls or oreign executies who pav large sums o monev or a night or
een a whole weekend. But due to class and ethnicitv and in some cases also age. there is a sharp
diiding line between this world o prostitution and the one the prostituted women in mv studv
ind themseles in.
Prostitution is a erv complex and wide issue and there are seeral aspects apart rom the
economic ones in ocus in this essav that desere to be examined urther. One interesting issue is
or example the question o demand. 1he crisis struck the whole Argentinian societv. \hv is it
then that there are still enough clients willing to use their scarce income to buv women`s bodies
Mv interiewees said most clients are married men with amilies. whv do thev not prioritise their
amilies Another issue is the one about terminologv. how to reer to women in prostitution. and
also the unionising o so-called sex workers. \hat does that lead to Due to the limited scope o
mv studv I hae not been able to inestigate anv such issues in this essav.
Argentina`s economv is recoering slowlv. Unortunatelv. according to (ecilia Lipszvc. most
o the new jobs created are not aimed at women. It thereore remains more diicult or women
than or men to get out o poertv. \ithin the near uture. I see no possibilitv or a change in the
prostitution situation. I the positie trend continues. it must eentuallv lead to an improement
or women as well. 1hrough this. manv women will hopeullv be able to ind a wav out o
prostitution. loweer. as pointed out beore. the kev to putting an end to prostitution does not
lie in eliminating poertv. but rather in eliminating a social structure based on men`s supremacv
oer women and commercialisation o their bodies.


51
RLILRLNCLS

BOOKS AND PUBLISHLD AR1ICLLS

Abaca, Iernando, 2004: Disuelen la diision Moralidad de la Polica` Ctarv: Januarv 30th. No
2861. th vear. Buenos Aires
Barrera, Lvaristo, 2002: 1urismo sexual en Argentina` )be ctivic: September 1th. No 86. 4th
vear. Santiago de (hile
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ava porerty iv tbe tbira rorta: USA: 1he Johns lopkins Uniersitv Press
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Lang Publishing
Del Carmen Ieijo, Maria, 2003: ^vero pa.. vvera pobre.a: Second ampliied edition: Buenos
Aires: londo de (ultura Lconmica
Delgado, Daniel, 2004: Los turistas buscan sexo en Buenos Aires. Ou ciudad acogedora`
)`): lebruarv 6th. No 4. 1st vear. Buenos Aires
Lhrenreich, Barbara and Russell Hochschild, Arlie, 2002: Global cities and surial
circuits`: Sassen. Saskia: in Ctobat !ovav: ^avvie.. Maia. ava e !or/er. iv tbe ^er covovy:
London: Granta Books
Lricsson, Lars O., 1980: (harges against Prostitution: An Attempt at a Philosophical
Assessment` tbic.: April. Vol. 90. No 3
Iontenla, Marta, 2001a: La prositucin v el traico de mujeres en la reorma al cdigo penal`
rvia.: August. No 28. 20th vear
2001b: `Amor de la calle`: en el continuo de iolencia` rvia.: August. No 28. 20th vear
Guy, Donna, 1994: t .eo petigro.o. a pro.titvciv tegat ev vevo. .ire. ]:]::: Buenos Aires:
Lditorial Sudamericana
Juliano, Dolores, 2002: a pro.titvciv: et e.peio o.cvro: Barcelona: Icaria
Kabeer, Naila, 2003: Cevaer Maiv.treavivg iv Porerty raaicatiov ava tbe Mittevvivv Deretopvevt
Coat.: London: 1he (ommonwealth Secretariat
Kuo, Leonore, 2002: Pro.titvtiov Poticy: Rerotvtiovi.ivg Practice tbrovgb a Cevaerea Per.pectire: New
\ork: New \ork Uniersitv Press
Lipszyc, Cecilia, etc, 1996: Jerarquias de clase v gnero: aportes para la comprensin de las
estrategias de substistencia de las mujeres`: Gins. Mara Lmilia: Despriatizando lo
priado. Sobre las relaciones entre el trabajo domstico v la acumulacin capitalista`: Lipszvc.
(ecilia: in De.prirati.avao to priraao: vviere. y trabaio.: Buenos Aires: (atalogos
1999: .Ou pasa con el ejercicio de la prostitucin en la (iudad Autnoma de Buenos
Aires` evivaria: Julv. No 2223. 10th vear. Buenos Aires
Nencel, Lorraine, 2001: tbvograpby ava Pro.titvtiov iv Perv: London: Pluto Press
O'Connell Davidson, Julia, 1998: Pro.titvtiov. Porer ava reeaov: (ornwall: Politv Press
Parpart, Jane L., etc, 2000: \hv gender \hv eminism`: Reddock. Rhonda: leminism and
deelopment: 1heoretical perspecties`: (onnellv. Patricia M.. etc: in )beoreticat Per.pectire. ov
Cevaer ava Deretopvevt: Ottawa: International Deelopment Research (enter
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Press
Perez Aguirre, Luis, 1995: a covaiciv teviviva: Monteideo: Obras Lscogidas
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No 5420. 16th vear. Buenos Aires
Sassen, Saskia, 2002: Las contrageograas de la globalizacin` Cotiaiavo Mvier: Mav-Julv. No 3


52
Scambler, Graham, etc, 199: (ampaigning or legal change`: Lnglish (ollectie o
Prostitutes: Prostitute women now`: O`Neill. Maggie: (onspicuous and inconspicuous sex
work: 1he neglect o the ordinarv and mundane`: Scambler. Graham: in Retbiv/ivg Pro.titvtiov:
Pvrcba.ivg .e iv tbe ]0.: London: Routledge
Schmink, Marianne, 1984: lousehold economic strategies: Reiew and research agenda`:
ativ .vericav Re.earcb Rerier: Vol. 19. No 3
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vear. Buenos Aires
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1th vear. Buenos Aires
UNDP, United Nations Development Programme, 2003: vvav Deretopvevt Report 200:
New \ork: Oxord Uniersitv Press
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cada`: (asanoas. Liliana: in Cri.i. y Re.i.tevcia.: 1oce. ae Mviere.: Buenos Aires
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Wilson, 1amar Diana, 1998: Approaches to understanding the position o women workers in
the inormal sector` ativ .vericav Per.pectire.: March. Vol. 25. No 2


NON-PUBLISHLD MA1LRIAL AND IN1LRNL1 SOURCLS

Assarson, Jan and Svensson, 1orsten, 1996: .tt traga ocb .rara. v ivtroav/tiov titt .tat.retev./aptig
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por regiones: Primer 1rimestre 2004`: Porcentaje de hogares v personas bajo las lneas de
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ISPM, Instituto Social y Politico de la Mujer, etc, 2003: .vati.i. aet vercaao taborat ev .rgevtiva
ae.ae vva per.pectira ae gevero: Buenos Aires. December.
Lindroth, Johan, 2003a: |tri/e.avaty. vr ] 200: Perovi.t ravta. bti .rgevtiva. vye pre.iaevt:
Utrikespolitiska institutet: April 24th: http:www.ui.se printed 03081,
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teaerati.v`: http:www.ispm.org.ardocumentosargentina_crisis.htm printed 030815,
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53
RIMA, Red Informativa de Mujeres de Argentina, 2002: .rgevtiva: baaor Report trov O^C.
to CD.! Covvittee: Buenos Aires. Julv:
http:www.ispm.org.ardocumentoscedaw_inal_eng.html printed 030614,


IN1LRVILWS

1he names with hae been changed to keep the inormants` anonvmitv
*Carla - (urrentlv prostituted woman - Januarv 20. 2004
Cecilia Lipzsyc - Sociologist. expert in women`s studies. ice president o ADLULM
Asociacin de Lspecialistas Uniersitarias en Lstudios de la Mujer, and a eminist actiist -
lebruarv 6. 2004
*Claudia - (urrentlv prostituted woman - lebruarv 26. 2004
Delia/Anita - (urrentlv prostituted woman - lebruarv 5. 2004
Llena Reynaga - lormerlv prostituted woman. president o AMMAR Nacional - December 23.
2003
*Iernanda - (urrentlv prostituted woman - Januarv 8. 2004
Magui Bellotti - Member o the eminist group Atem 25 de Noiembre. member o the
redaction o the eminist magazine Brujas and a eminist actiist - lebruarv 25. 2004
Olga - (urrentlv prostituted woman - Januarv 8. 2004
Paula Barrionuevo - Social worker at the lermanas Adoratrices centre. lebruarv 2. 2004
Sara 1orres - Sexual educator. Argentina`s representatie in (A1\ (oalition Against
1raicking o \omen, and a eminist actiist - December 21. 2003
Sonia Sanchez - lormerlv prostituted woman. president o Asociacin AMMAR (apital -
Januarv 6. 2004
Vernica Sereno - Lmplovee at the Puerta Abierta Recreando centre. lebruarv 19. 2004


PAR1ICIPA1ORY OBSLRVA1IONS
Januarv 6. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
Januarv 8. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
Januarv 14. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
Januarv 20. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
Januarv 26. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 2. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 3. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 5. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 9. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 18. 2004. Distribution o ood at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 23. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 24. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 25. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital
lebruarv 26. 2004. Sewing workshop at Asociacin AMMAR (apital