“The power of sex” : a study of power relations in the sex workers community of Singapore.

Abstract

Prostitution in Singapore has never been openly discussed although many studies have been done on it. Consequently, the female prostitute has always been seen as the disempowered party in society. She is often bound by pimps, perceived as a sex slave whose only means of survival is through selling her body. However, in modern societies there is also the independent sex worker who freelances on the street. This research paper seeks to explore in detail the power relations between the freelance sex worker and her client, the instruments used if any, by either party to yield dominance over the other, thus obtaining power.