sex work

[ seks wurk ]

noun

1. the sex industry or work in this industry, including prostitution, pornography, stripping, or pornographic modeling intended to sexually arouse clients.

Other Words From

• sex work·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sex work¹

First recorded in 1930–35 in the sense “the academic study of sexual behavior,” and in 1980–85 for the current sense

Example Sentences

There are ways of doing sex work that honor the autonomy of sex workers, but the text messages and other information that's leaked out about Gaetz and his cronies — one who is serving time in federal prison for his role — suggest that is not how they viewed it at all.

From Salon

Buck’s two-week trial highlighted a dangerous underworld of sex work, where an influential, wealthy man exploited poor, addicted Black men.

From Los Angeles Times

"Women would find themselves in situations where they may be engaging in forced sex work, or they might be afraid of social services, and the women face an awful lot of shame and stigma in and around their drug use," she said.

From BBC

Modern slavery is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain where victims are forced into work for little or no pay, including sex work and criminal activity.

From BBC

A woman who was trafficked to Northern Ireland from eastern Europe and forced into sex work has said she now suffers from flashbacks, panic attacks and now lives every day in fear.

From BBC