Work–life management in legal prostitution: Stigma and lockdown in Nevada's brothels. (June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blithe, Sarah Jane; Wolfe, Anna Wiederhold
• Is Part Of: Human relations. Volume 70:Number 6(2017)
• Page Start: 725
• Page End: 750
• Publication Date: 2017-06
• Subjects: brothels -- dirty work -- prostitution -- sex work -- stigma -- work–life balance -- work–life management; Social sciences -- Periodicals; 302
• DOI: 10.1177/0018726716674262
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0018-7267

Abstract

Across occupations, people contend with the difficult task of managing time between their work and other aspects of life. Previous research on stigmatized industries has suggested that so-called 'dirty workers' experience extreme identity segmentation between these two realms because they tend to cope with their occupational stigma by placing distance between their work and personal lives. Through a qualitative study of Nevada's legal brothel industry, this article focuses on the prevalence of boundary segmentation as a dominant work–life management practice for dirty workers. Our analysis suggests that work–life boundaries are disciplined by legal mythologies and ambiguities surrounding worker restrictions, occupational ideologies of 'work now, life later, ' and perceived and experienced effects of community-based stigma. These legal, occupational and community constructs ultimately privilege organizations' and external communities' interests, while individual dirty workers carry the weight of stigma.