A woman’s right to choose (what kind of work she wants to do?)

Let’s listen to Salt-N-Pepa, and then talk about whether women should be allowed to engage in sex work.

Formal sex education doesn’t typically talk about sex work. Which is odd, because it’s an important aspect of sex for a lot of people. It’s also a topic of heated public debate. Increasing numbers of sex workers – particularly women – are speaking for themselves about their experiences. Many argue that while sex work is not perfect, it is as good as – or better than – many other forms of work: particularly the kinds of low-paid service-industry work that is typically available for women and people of colour. For these workers, problems with sex work need to be addressed through mechanisms like Occupational Health and Safety structures.

On the other hand, a coalition of conservative Christians and radical feminists argue that under patriarchy, all sex work is necessarily sexist and must be controlled by the state. These debates can trend into wider discussions about whether young women these days are too slutty.

How can young people navigate these debates? Let’s make that part of sex education. Listen to what Salt-N-Pepa have to say on this topic, and then discuss it using the Study Guide below.

Warning: this song includes discussion of sex work.

Study Guide: as you listen to this song consider the following questions:

1. Is it any of your business?
2. Can you think of any situations where it would become your business?
3. What jobs would you like to make illegal? Why?