'He's not my pimp': toward an understanding of intimate male partner involvement in female sex work at the Mexico-US border.

Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100883416 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1464-5351 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13691058 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Cult Health Sex Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Informa Healthcare

Decision Making* ; Sex Work* ; Sexual Partners* ; Spouses*; Adult ; Economic Status ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Gender Identity ; Humans ; Income ; Male ; Mexico ; Qualitative Research ; Role ; Social Stigma ; Substance-Related Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; United States

Female sex work is often perceived as women being controlled by men. We used surveys and qualitative interviews with female sex workers and their intimate partners in two Northern Mexico cities to examine couples' own perceptions of their relationships and male partners' involvement in sex work. Among 214 couples, the median age was 34 and relationship duration was approximately 3 years. Only 10 women in the survey reported having a pimp, and the majority reported sole control over sex work decisions. Qualitative analyses revealed that while most men avoided direct involvement in sex work, they offered advice that was largely driven by concern for their partner's well-being. Our discussion of these results considers the broader socio-political context surrounding these relationships and how changing gender roles, economic insecurity and stigma shape couples' everyday social interactions. Assumptions that all sex workers' relationships are coercive and commercial marginalises these couples while leaving their health concerns unaddressed.

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R25 TW009343 United States TW FIC NIH HHS; R36 DA032376 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS; D43 TW009343 United States TW FIC NIH HHS; D43 TW008633 United States TW FIC NIH HHS; R01 DA027772 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS; R37 DA019829 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS; P30 AI036214 United States AI NIAID NIH HHS; T32 DA023356 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS; P30 AI060354 United States AI NIAID NIH HHS

Keywords: Mexico; Sex work; couples; people who use drugs; pimp; stigma

Date Created: 20171125 Date Completed: 20191028 Latest Revision: 20240328

20250114

PMC5967977

10.1080/13691058.2017.1403651

29171796