Sex as work: Decriminalisation and the management of brothels in New Zealand By C. Weinhold, Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. 2022. pp. 275. £99.99 (hbk). £99.99 (pbk). ISBN: 9783031192593

Abstract

In this thoughtful examination of brothel management following decriminalisation in New Zealand, Weinhold presents a much-needed discussion that not only sheds light on the realities of brothel management under these new laws but also questions the limits of legal reform and seeking legitimacy through the lens of ‘work’.

To accomplish this, Weinhold weaves together an evaluation of the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA) 2003 with excerpts and findings from interviews with sex workers and brothel operators to create a compelling image of how these laws are perceived and implemented and the impact this has on working patterns and conditions in brothels. While, as Weinhold herself notes, this is not a comprehensive exploration of the sector and work and management within it, Sex as work provides a strong foundation for future work to build upon, such as further exploration of brothel work, analyses of other types of sex work, or questioning what additional progress should follow decriminalisation to improve the rights of sex workers and their ability to enforce them.

As this review has already shown, Sex as work is a valuable addition to the area of sex work studies. However, a more thorough evaluation of this piece is needed to understand its strengths more fully, to highlight areas of particular interest, and to acknowledge where some improvements may have been made.

From the preface, Weinhold establishes the purpose of the book clearly and concisely, stating how it looks to explore whether brothels are treated in law and in practice like any other type of business, as well as the influence of stigma on brothel management and the persistence of exploitation despite decriminalisation. It is also here that she shows herself to be a writer capable of taking her reader by the hand and guiding them into this complex area in a way that emphasises readability and the demystification of sex work, making this piece an accessible read for those looking to learn more about the effects of decriminalisation and brothel work more generally.

This introduction extends to the beginning of Chapter 1, where Weinhold summarises the conditions of decriminalisation in New Zealand before reiterating the research's aims and position in its wider field. The chapter then moves on to discuss the context surrounding the research, including briefly looking at legal regimes elsewhere, exploring the draws, risks, and organisation of brothel work in New Zealand, as well as discussing the context surrounding the PRA and specific provisions of it. With communicating such a range of information being an intimidating task particularly within a single chapter, Weinhold succeeds in making these discussions accessible without oversimplification and prepares her reader effectively for the more specialised discussions to follow.

In Chapter 2, Weinhold begins with a similar discussion of the PRA and its flaws as in Chapter 1, but progresses this further through a more detailed consideration of its provisions and their impact on sex workers’ safety, health, and ability to enforce their rights. Thereafter, she explores operators’ understandings of the PRA, the ways in which they manage sex work stigma through corporatisation and displacement, the role of hygiene in managing and perpetuating stigma, and relations with the police and the precarity facing migrant sex workers under the PRA. Through this discussion she communicates a diverse array of information to the reader. Although this allows Weinhold to demonstrate the breadth of the Act's impact, the sheer amount of information was at times overwhelming. While containing interesting information on operators’ understandings of the law and their stigma management, and the discussions of hygiene and exclusion of migrant sex workers as moral caveats of the PRA, the chapter could have been further streamlined to avoid or reduce  reader overwhelm.

The theme of corporatisation as a means of stigma management is extended further in Chapter 3's discussion of the impact of persisting stigma on the bureaucracy surrounding brothels and the effect of operators using controls, such as employee misclassification and prioritising productivity norms over sex worker safety, to transfer stigma and legitimise their work. Weinhold's discussion here forms a sophisticated exploration of these issues, especially in her examination of how operators reflected on the PRA and (often) their misinterpretation of it to justify their control over sex workers.

Stigma management is also a central part of Chapter 4 where Weinhold discusses the myriad of ways that operators have sought to legitimise their work through the adoption of various cultural and corporate codes that have furthered the professionalisation of sex work under decriminalisation. Here, Weinhold focuses on how the image management carried out by operators to legitimise their work results in social exclusion and stigma being transferred to marginalised groups by relying on hierarchies in the sex industry. The section Date expectations' interesting discussion of how consent and the sex worker's ability or inability to uphold boundaries relates to the mainstreaming and professionalisation of sex work then paves the way for a more detailed examination of the construction of consent in Chapter 5 which includes a crucial discussion on the silencing of violence.

In the final chapter, Weinhold argues that while the decriminalisation of sex work is necessary, the PRA has resulted in the exclusion and repression of sex workers by putting an emphasis on legitimising the sex industry through productivity norms. She also expresses her dissatisfaction with the limits of administrative reform more generally, as it cannot truly overthrow structures that the law itself is responsible for creating, and notes the types of progress that might be needed in addition to decriminalisation, such as pushing for destigmatisation and the implementation of measures and policies that would allow sex workers to better report poor workplace practices.

Overall, Sex as work is a groundbreaking exploration of brothel management after decriminalisation in New Zealand that highlights the exploitation and stigma that have persisted since the PRA's implementation. Weinhold's exploration gives the reader much to consider on the question of what progress is necessary beyond, or in addition to, decriminalisation, and how these issues might inform decriminalisation efforts in other jurisdictions.