Abstract
The present article reflects upon the concepts of work and womens’ work in the light of classic Marxist feminist analyses. It seeks to problematize these categories, beginning with a conversation that took place during ethnographic fieldwork, thinking about what sex work means within the historical a current context of the market for women’s labor. We situate sex work as a variant of reproductive work which still provokes great controversy among significant portions of “progressive” social movements and also among conservative religious sectors, complicating its recognition as a legitimate occupation. We explore some of the possible reasons why sex work, almost alone among the traditional reproductive labor “done out of love”, still generates so much discomfort among such heterogeneous political and social groups.
Work; Woman's Work; Feminist Marxist Theory; Sex Work
