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Condom use in context : women’s experiences in the massage parlour industry in Vancouver, Canada Handlovsky, Ingrid Emilia; Bungay, Vicky; Kolar, Kat

Abstract

Investigation into condom use in sex work has aroused interest in health promotion and illness prevention. Yet there remains a dearth of inquiry into condom use practices in the indoor sex industry, particularly in North America. We performed a thematic analysis of one aspect of the indoor sex work by drawing on data from a larger mixed-methods project that investigated women’s health issues in the massage parlour industry in Vancouver, Canada. Using a ‘risk context’ framework, condom use was approached as a socially situated practice constituted by supportive and constraining dynamics. Three analytic categories were identified: (1) the process of condom negotiation, (2) the availability of condoms and accessibility to information on STI and (3) financial vulnerability. Within these categories, several supportive dynamics (industry experience and personal ingenuity) and constraining dynamics (lack of agency support, client preferences, limited language proficiency and the legal system) were explored as interfacing influences on condom use. Initiatives to encourage condom use must recognise the role of context in order to more effectively support the health-promoting efforts of women in sex work.

Item Metadata

Title
Condom use in context : women’s experiences in the massage parlour industry in Vancouver, Canada
Creator
Handlovsky, Ingrid Emilia; Bungay, Vicky; Kolar, Kat
Date Issued
2012
Description
Investigation into condom use in sex work has aroused interest in health promotion and illness prevention. Yet there remains a dearth of inquiry into condom use practices in the indoor sex industry, particularly in North America. We performed a thematic analysis of one aspect of the indoor sex work by drawing on data from a larger mixed-methods project that investigated women’s health issues in the massage parlour industry in Vancouver, Canada. Using a ‘risk context’ framework, condom use was approached as a socially situated practice constituted by supportive and constraining dynamics. Three analytic categories were identified: (1) the process of condom negotiation, (2) the availability of condoms and accessibility to information on STI and (3) financial vulnerability. Within these categories, several supportive dynamics (industry experience and personal ingenuity) and constraining dynamics (lack of agency support, client preferences, limited language proficiency and the legal system) were explored as interfacing influences on condom use. Initiatives to encourage condom use must recognise the role of context in order to more effectively support the health-promoting efforts of women in sex work.
Subject
Condoms; Indoor sex work; Risk; STIs; Women’s health
Genre
Article; Postprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2013-06-26
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0132701
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/44598
Affiliation
Applied Science, Faculty of; Nursing, School of; Non UBC
Citation
Handlovsky, I., V. Bungay, et al. (2012) Condom use as situated in a risk context: Women’s experiences in the massage parlour industry in Vancouver, Canada. Culture, Health and Sexuality. 14(9), 1007-20
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher; Postdoctoral
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International