Sex work on paper

: a content analysis of portuguese news

Abstract

Sex work has been increasingly addressed in both the media and academia. There is growing recognition of the need for change that accommodates these workers, who often lack dignified working and living conditions. New legal approaches, such as legalization, the Nordic model, decriminalization, and criminalization, have been widely theorized, and their effects on the economy and people's lives have been observed. These approaches are complemented by social perspectives, such as reframing sex work as an activity that can empower women and provide independence, or, conversely, as a form of oppression that generates profit through the subjugation of women. The emergence of the term sex work as an umbrella term reflects this evolution in perceptions and discussions about the subject. The media and newspapers play a crucial role in shaping public perceptions and constructing a social reality that benefits the most vulnerable, promoting change and growth. To understand how sex workers are represented, a quantitative approach through content analysis was chosen. This analysis was conducted on 97 news articles using a coding manual with 24 variables, covering the following Portuguese newspapers and magazines: Público; Diário de Notícias; Correio da Manhã; Observador; Jornal de Notícias; Sábado; Visão. The analysis revealed several key themes. A significant portion of the articles adopted an episodic narrative structure, focusing primarily on specific incidents and the surrounding contextual factors. In terms of the types of sex work mentioned, many articles used broad terms encompassing various forms of sex work, while others avoided mentioning it explicitly. Among the articles that specified a type of sex work, sex trafficking received the most coverage, followed by brothel work and street prostitution. Regarding the legal frameworks surrounding sex work, a significant part of the articles did not engage in discussions about the different legal approaches to prostitution. Among those that addressed legal aspects, legalization was the most thoroughly examined topic. The analysis also revealed that most articles maintained a neutral stance towards sex work. The most prominent voices in the news articles were those of law enforcement officers, followed by rights advocacy organizations and politicians. Perspectives from sex workers themselves, pimps/buyers, health professionals, and religious entities were also represented, though to a lesser extent. The Diário de Notícias emerged as the publication with the highest volume of articles on sex work. Intersectionality, or the consideration of overlapping social identities and how they influence experiences, was largely absent from the analyzed articles. Additionally, conflict and morality frames were rarely used in the depiction of sex work. Most articles provided substantive information, while few exhibited ambiguity or focused solely on human interest stories. Geographically, the origin of sex workers received minimal attention, with only occasional references to Asian workers in Lisbon and Brazilian workers in northern Portugal.

Date of Award	29 Nov 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ioli Campos (Supervisor)