Jan Browne

Perceptions and consequences of ageism: views of older people

This qualitative study examines meanings and experiences of ageism for older Australians. While the concept is widely applied in academic social analysis, the term is not understood or used by many of the informants. They talk freely, however, about negative experiences in ‘being seen as old’ and ‘being treated as old’. Active ageing is viewed as a positive way of presenting and interpreting oneself as separate from the ‘old’ group. Informants recognise that older people as a group experience negative treatment in terms of poor access to transport and housing, low incomes, forced retirement and inadequate nursing home care. While few have experienced overt or brutal ageism, interaction in everyday life involves some negative treatment, occasional positive ‘sageism’, and others ‘keeping watch’ for ones vulnerabilities. Health professionals are a major source of ageist treatment. Some older people limit their lives by accommodating ageism, while others actively negotiate new images of ageing for themselves and those who will be old in the future.

Understanding the New Context of the Male Sex Work Industry

The article reviews past and recent research on male sex work to offer a context to understand violence in the industry. It provides a critical review of research to show, first, the assumptions made about male sex workers and violence and, second, how such discourses have shaped thinking on the topic. The article presents a case study and original findings from two studies conducted by the authors in Australia and Argentina on violence in the male sex industry. Finally, the article reviews examples of legislative reforms to show how the sex industry is being regulated.

Male sex workers in three Australian cities: socio-demographic and sex work characteristics.

Abstract This article describes the socio-demographic and sex work characteristics of sex workers in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. A total of 185 male sex workers completed the questionnaire component of the study. The results of this study serve to debunk many of the myths surrounding the popular view of the male sex worker (MS W). The respondents in this study were on average 27 years old, and the majority had completed secondary education, with 30% having gained some form of tertiary qualification. Interestingly, those MSWs who had not completed secondary education were mostly street workers and were generally aged under 25 years. The majority of sex workers lived in rented accommodation, with only 6% reporting to be homeless. Half of all respondents identified as being “gay,” 31% as “bisexual” and 5.5% as “straight.” More than half of the respondents were in a permanent relationship. Only 7.3% of this group reported using heroin daily, although the majority consumed alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and ecstasy. The majority of sex workers had been in the profession for less than six months, although some had been working in the industry for more than ten years. Most of the sex workers reported having taken an HIV test and a preference to offer safer sex. The article highlights ways in which the work context of MSW can be better understood and supported by education and public policy programs.

The social and work context of commercial sex between men: a research note:

A qualitative approach was used to explore the social and work contexts of the commercial sexual encounter between male sex workers and their clients. Male sex workers aged between 19 and 34 were interviewed in Melbourne. This preliminary, exploratory study suggests that dominant traditional models of male sexuality and masculinity may be reflected in how male sex workers give meaning to commercial sex. The study also reveals that, by using a career orientation towards their work, male sex workers may be able to separate work sex from personal sex, understand their work within the broader social context of work, reject the stigma of commercial sex, use their bodies as a resource that allows them to capitalise on male sexual privilege, and practise safe sex with their clients. Suggestions for further research into safe sex negotiations and practices in male commercial sex encounters are outlined.

Commercial sex between men: A prospective diary‐based study

This paper describes the results of a self‐reporting dairy completed by 186 male sex workers (MSWs) over a 2‐week period in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, Australia. The diary was completed following each commercial sex encounter by the MSW. The results reveal that MSWs reported 2088 commercial sex encounters during the study period, with an average of 11.2 encounters per MSW. The majority of sex encounters took place in either the clients or the MSWs residence, with significant variations by city. The average sexual encounter lasted 70 minutes, and comprised two sexual acts, masturbation and oral sex. Condom use was reported in 67.4% of all the encounters. Using the AIDS Council safe‐sex classification system, the majority of the commercial sex encounters fell in the “safer sex” category; however, there were significant differences by source of clients and place of the encounter. Use of drugs and alcohol reveal interesting patterns: Clients were more likely to use alcohol, while MSWs had significant differences of usage of the different drugs. This study demonstrates that the majority of MSWs are offering and practicing safe sex behaviours, however, MSWs working in the street setting are still likely to be practising unsafe sex. Male sex work is becoming an organised business and this provides opportunities to implement further public health interventions.

Knowledge, risk perceptions and condom usage in male sex workers from three Australian cities

The study identifies factors associated with knowledge and perception of risk of HIV/AIDS, as well as attitudes to and usage of condoms by a sample of male sex workers (MSW). One hundred and eighty-five male sex workers completed a self-reported questionnaire, including knowledge about HIV transmission, attitudes to condom use and perceptions and personal susceptibility to HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk, and a two-week diary recording use of condom during commercial sex encounters. The findings reveal that condom use was found in 77.7% of the encounters with clients and the majority of the respondents perceived themselves to be at no risk for HIV because of sex work. Independent sex workers from Melbourne and workers who owned their place of residence used condoms in a significant lower proportion. Generally speaking, knowledge about the risks associated with AIDS was high, with respondents showing lower knowledge about the risks associated with unprotected receptive or active oral sex. Participants held a positive attitude to condom use; most considered the provisions of condoms to be their responsibility rather than clients; and they were more worried about contracting an STI than HIV. Those who scored higher on the knowledge scale had more positive attitudes to condom use and those who had a more positive attitude to condom use recorded a perceived lower risk of contracting STI but not HIV. The study discusses the relevance of these findings for public health risk reduction and sexual health education campaigns.

A profile of the clients of male sex workers in three Australian cities

Objective: This paper describes the profile of clients as reported by 186 male sex workers in three Australian cities.

My home, your workplace: people with physical disability negotiate their sexual health without crossing professional boundaries

This paper aims to describe research that examined the views of people with physical disability, living in Australia, of their sexual well‐being needs from their own perspective. We explored the impact their sexual well‐being needs had on their relationships with professional carers. A social model of disability was used to understand how sexual well‐being is facilitated or denied in community care. We also explored whether clients’ sexual well‐being needs could be met without carers or clients ‘crossing the line’. Our findings indicate the multiple ways that ‘professional boundaries’ were negotiated between clients and professional carers. The data show that the location of the ‘line’ changed, depending on a range of personal, social, economic and environmental factors. The data also show a gap between the sexual well‐being needs of people living with a physical disability and the level of support provided at the social and organisational levels. Suggestions are made for research and practice directions.

An Instrument to Measure Safer Sex Strategies Used by Male Sex Workers

Several studies have related safe sex in the commercial sex encounter to the ability of sex workers to apply specific safer sex strategies. However, no instrument has been previously available to measure these skills. The Safer-Sex Strategy Scale (SSS) was developed for such purposes. The psychometric properties (reliability and validity) were evaluated with a sample of sex workers recruited from Australian cities. A questionnaire was administered to 184 sex workers aged 18–58 years using a convenience sampling method. Results indicated that the SSS can be conceptualized as a four variation construct and can be reliably (all subscales yielded at least a Cronbachs α = .60) and validly measured. Additionally, the relationship of the SSS to various sex work experiences was explored. The results show that the length of time working as a sex worker and contact with sex work organizations and sexual health clinics appear to influence the level of agreement of using the safer sex strategies evaluated.

Doing and Writing Qualitative Research [Book Review]

Review(s) of: Adrian Holliday, Doing and writing qualitative research, Sage, London, 2007, second edition, ISBN 9781412911306, 199 pages, paperback