New faces to old forms of work: unionization of women sexual workers in Argentina

Abstract

Labor and representation are two central concepts that cross the theorizations of political science and sociology. One refers to the location of individuals in the social relationships  and the conformation of collective identities; the other mediates these identities and exposes them in the political scenario through different mechanisms and institutions. The case of the union of prostitute women (sexual workers) in Argentina represents a phenomenon of great relevance, as it calls for a revision of the traditional elements that make up the world of work and, on the other hand, demands inclusion within social relations that shies away from the category of “assistance” as a degraded mode of citizen inclusion. In this sense, the appeal to work is a claim that seeks to register exclusion in a framework of equality. This analysis responds to the reflection on the union of women prostitutes, applying a set of qualitative analysis techniques to the data set developed in recent years.