What’s love got to do with it? theorising young people’s involvement in prostitution

Abstract

This article critically considers dominant explanations of young people’s involvement in prostitution, focusing particularly on young adults, in the light of neo-liberal policy developments and the workfare state. It argues that these explanations are limited by the fact that they fail to take into account the underlying conditions that make involvement a viable option. By taking account of these conditions, and the ways in which young people may exercise agency within them, the article offers a more nuanced account of young people’s involvement in prostitution .