The Seductive Scholar Words by Sol Blue & Kat Morrison
There’s something wonderfully wholesome and celebratory about furthering your education; whether it be a political science degree, or a diesel mechanics course, society applauds the learner. We venerate and romanticise the ‘poor student’ narrative. We joke about ramen noodles and pulling all-nighters. But the reality is much harsher. Tertiary education is expensive – financially, physically, and spiritually. Lectures, tutorials, papers, research, workshops, reports.... the list goes on. And there are only so many hours in the day, right? We live in a capitalist construct, and everyone needs cash. Fitting that waiting job around your full-time study is brutal, at best. But some students have found an alternative.... “Sex work is legitimate labour, it’s skilled labour” says Kat Morrison, General Manager of SIN, the South Australian sex worker peer organisation. Funded by SA Health, SIN has been promoting the health, rights, and
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wellbeing of SA sex workers for over 30 years. “Sex work is the consensual exchange of sexual services for reward. It’s an umbrella term that encompasses many different types of services and activities. We find students are drawn to sex work due to the flexible working hours and potential income”, Morrison says. Sex work can be an accessible job that is available for university students. Subsequently, universities need to create environments free from stigma and discrimination so students can disclose their sex worker status to appropriate faculty and support staff without fear of reprisal or vilification. Studies from Canada found that anywhere between 2% - 7% of students at a university have engaged in sex work. In South Australia, statistics about sex workers are difficult to obtain. The current legislative framework, as it pertains to sex work in SA, is full criminalisation. SA is the only Australian state or territory to fully criminalise adult, consensual, commercial sexual services.
