Negotiating consent : setting boundaries in the sexual contract

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Abel, Gillian and Fraser, Cherida and Brents, Barbara G. and Sanders, Teela and Scoular, Jane; Sanders, Teela and Scoular, Jane and Brents, Barbara G. and Balderston, Susie and Abel, Gillian, eds. (2025) Negotiating consent : setting boundaries in the sexual contract. In: Voicing Consent. Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., Cham, pp. 53-78. ISBN 9783031777158 (https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_3)

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Abstract

In this chapter, we examine how sex workers learn to negotiate with clients and how they set and maintain boundaries within commercial sex transactions. Expectations for a commercial sex transaction in terms of what services will and will not be provided are set up in the negotiation process. This negotiation constitutes a verbal contract which, in most instances, is adhered to. However, some clients try to push the boundaries of the contract. In some cases, sex workers consider the boundary crossing to be minor and make the decision to accommodate the breach. In other cases, the terms of the contract are themselves breached, and the service becomes non-consensual.

ORCID iDs

Abel, Gillian, Fraser, Cherida, Brents, Barbara G., Sanders, Teela and Scoular, Jane ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6686-6494; Sanders, Teela, Scoular, Jane, Brents, Barbara G., Balderston, Susie and Abel, Gillian
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)