Studies of sex workers have shown that Western sex workers may provide a proxy ‘girlfriend experience’ (Sanders 2008). Chen (2006; 2008) argued that Taiwanese sex workers are self-trained to perform emotional labour and successfully create the illusion of ‘falling in love’ with clients to ‘keep’ them as clients. Ho, who suffered from long-term frustration in […]

The phenomenon of clients seeking emotional comfort through commercial sex is widely documented. Moreover, clients tend to think that their relations with sex workers are reciprocal rather than exploitative. Lever and Dolnick (2000: 96) went further to suggest that talking is a way in which clients seek to establish a ‘limited reciprocity’ with sex workers. […]

Personal sexual interests are highlighted in accounts of Western men’s purchase of sexual services. McKeganey and Barnard (1996: 50), for example, listed five reasons that drive men to use commercial sex: seeking particular sex acts, having sex with different women, seeking women with specific characteristics, the thrill of doing something socially condemned, and sex without […]

According to Yang’s (2001) research, about 70 per cent of male respondents in Taipei had visited sex-related establishments on at least one occasion. It has been argued that the use of commercial sex in Taiwan not only serves as one of the ways men build up male bonds and/or brotherhood, but also as a rite […]

The current Taiwanese sex industry has its roots in Japanese colonialism. During the Japanese colonial period (1895—1945), licensed prostitution was adopted to make sex available in a regulated manner to both the Japanese colonisers and local Taiwanese men. According to Lin (1995), during the colonial period, prostitution was organised in terms of race and social […]

Mei-Hua Chen Introduction Although commercial sex is criminalised, ‘mai chuen’ (literally ‘buying spring’) is nevertheless widely practiced and well-tolerated in Taiwan. As a gendered social practice, buying sex for heterosexual men is taken for granted to the extent that wives are expected to turn a blind eye to it. While the term ‘piao ji’ (that […]

Women who exchange sex in Mongolia function in an economic, social and political envir­onment in rapid transition. Despite facing critical challenges which require innovative and comprehensive solutions, women demonstrate enormous resilience, independence and respon­sibility. Future research, policies and interventions aimed at harm reduction and empowerment for these women should fully consider their strengths demonstrated in […]

Despite the multitude of risks experienced by women who exchange sex, few psychosocial, health or economic support services exist in Mongolia to help women who exchange sex for money (Witte et al. 2010). To reduce women’s sexual health risks, alcohol dependency, risk of violence and economic challenges, our team began working with women who exchange […]

Stigma against women who exchange sex further complicates their ability to manage a hierarchy of risks typical in the lives of sex workers in Asia: poverty, violence, addiction, childhood abuse, and severe physical and emotional health-related problems (Choi et al. 2009; Le et al. 2010; Wang et al. 2007). The use of alcohol, particularly vodka, […]

By many measures, from working without brokers to supporting their families financially, women who exchange sex in Mongolia demonstrate significant independence and responsibility. Based on such characteristics, these women could be considered to represent the national identity of a progressive Mongol woman, and a progressive Mongol State. However, given the simultaneously influential gender ideology around […]