The prostitution industry in Thailand : an application of Ortner's theory of gender relations to explain the origins and justifications of Thai prostitution

Includes bibliographical references (pages [95]-102)The prostitution industry in Thailand has reached enormous proportions, logistically as well as economically. With an estimated 500,000 to 2,000,000 women currently working in the sex trade, one of the questions most asked is: why are so many women willing to engage in such a business, especially in the age of AIDS and HIV infection? This thesis will examine the cultural factors which go into the transformation of rural girls into urban sex workers. The theory used for this interpretation is Ortner’s “women is to nature as men is to culture” dichotomy, which explains the subordinate position of women in terms of patriarchal gender relations based on a division along the lines of nature (the “profane” aspect of social life), and culture (the “sacred” aspect of social life).M.A. (Master of Arts