Women Selling Sex in Russia: Analyzing Women’s Appraisal of Exploitation and Mistreatment Using Cognitive Dissonance and Cultural Sex Script Frameworks
Globally, over a third of women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. In Russia, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and physical abuse of women are amongst the world’s highest. Applying cognitive dissonance theory and sexual script theory, this study explores whether w...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Sexes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5118/3/3/34 |
| _version_ | 1797482389991063552 |
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| author | Varvara Gulina Lianne A. Urada Veronika Odinokova Maia Rusakova |
| author_facet | Varvara Gulina Lianne A. Urada Veronika Odinokova Maia Rusakova |
| author_sort | Varvara Gulina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Globally, over a third of women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. In Russia, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and physical abuse of women are amongst the world’s highest. Applying cognitive dissonance theory and sexual script theory, this study explores whether women (<i>n</i> = 654) trading sex in Russia appraise their experiences of entering the commercial sex trade as voluntary or forced. Contributing client factors were also analyzed, including beatings (66%), rape (66%), and humiliation (86%) by clients. Multiple logistic regression assessed whether women who reported voluntarily entering the commercial sex trade were more likely to experience physical abuse but less likely to experience rape (AOR:1.37); were more likely to perceive men using them as decent/caring (AOR = 2.54); were more likely to sell sadistic/masochistic services (AOR: 2.31); and less likely to stop selling sex (AOR: 5.84). Implications of this study reveal the importance of intervention strategies that account for a woman’s unawareness of her own exploitation and mistreatment as well as the psychological barriers that prevent her from seeking help. The necessity of recognizing women selling sex as sufferers of coercion and abuse is also emphasized. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:31:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2a252560ed674c0eb5a9503ab5a1a7c5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2411-5118 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:31:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sexes |
| spelling | doaj.art-2a252560ed674c0eb5a9503ab5a1a7c52023-11-23T18:55:07ZengMDPI AGSexes2411-51182022-09-013346347610.3390/sexes3030034Women Selling Sex in Russia: Analyzing Women’s Appraisal of Exploitation and Mistreatment Using Cognitive Dissonance and Cultural Sex Script FrameworksVarvara Gulina0Lianne A. Urada1Veronika Odinokova2Maia Rusakova3Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80217, USASchool of Social Work, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USANGO Stellit, St. Petersburg 197101, RussiaDepartment of Sociology, St Petersburg University, St. Petersburg 199034, RussiaGlobally, over a third of women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. In Russia, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and physical abuse of women are amongst the world’s highest. Applying cognitive dissonance theory and sexual script theory, this study explores whether women (<i>n</i> = 654) trading sex in Russia appraise their experiences of entering the commercial sex trade as voluntary or forced. Contributing client factors were also analyzed, including beatings (66%), rape (66%), and humiliation (86%) by clients. Multiple logistic regression assessed whether women who reported voluntarily entering the commercial sex trade were more likely to experience physical abuse but less likely to experience rape (AOR:1.37); were more likely to perceive men using them as decent/caring (AOR = 2.54); were more likely to sell sadistic/masochistic services (AOR: 2.31); and less likely to stop selling sex (AOR: 5.84). Implications of this study reveal the importance of intervention strategies that account for a woman’s unawareness of her own exploitation and mistreatment as well as the psychological barriers that prevent her from seeking help. The necessity of recognizing women selling sex as sufferers of coercion and abuse is also emphasized.https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5118/3/3/34Russian womensex traffickingcognitive dissonancesex scriptsappraisal of exploitationsexual abuse |
| spellingShingle | Varvara Gulina Lianne A. Urada Veronika Odinokova Maia Rusakova Women Selling Sex in Russia: Analyzing Women’s Appraisal of Exploitation and Mistreatment Using Cognitive Dissonance and Cultural Sex Script Frameworks Sexes Russian women sex trafficking cognitive dissonance sex scripts appraisal of exploitation sexual abuse |
| title | Women Selling Sex in Russia: Analyzing Women’s Appraisal of Exploitation and Mistreatment Using Cognitive Dissonance and Cultural Sex Script Frameworks |
| title_full | Women Selling Sex in Russia: Analyzing Women’s Appraisal of Exploitation and Mistreatment Using Cognitive Dissonance and Cultural Sex Script Frameworks |
| title_fullStr | Women Selling Sex in Russia: Analyzing Women’s Appraisal of Exploitation and Mistreatment Using Cognitive Dissonance and Cultural Sex Script Frameworks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Women Selling Sex in Russia: Analyzing Women’s Appraisal of Exploitation and Mistreatment Using Cognitive Dissonance and Cultural Sex Script Frameworks |
| title_short | Women Selling Sex in Russia: Analyzing Women’s Appraisal of Exploitation and Mistreatment Using Cognitive Dissonance and Cultural Sex Script Frameworks |
| title_sort | women selling sex in russia analyzing women s appraisal of exploitation and mistreatment using cognitive dissonance and cultural sex script frameworks |
| topic | Russian women sex trafficking cognitive dissonance sex scripts appraisal of exploitation sexual abuse |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5118/3/3/34 |
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