Nicole Kalms does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Increasingly liberal attitudes to sex have allowed for greater public celebration of sexual diversity, but the desires of heterosexual men still dominate urban environments. A closer look at these areas, which concentrate in the CBD of older cities and the outer suburbs of younger cities, reveals how entrenched gender inequalities materialise in urban spaces.
In Australia and the UK, the first legal strip clubs opened in the s. Since then, commercial sex has rapidly increased its presence. In parallel with more open legislation, strip clubs operate with a certain flexibility. Unlike brothels, they can advertise in mainstream media and are licensed to serve alcohol to patrons.
But at what cost? A report by the Coalition Against the Trafficking of Women found alcohol consumption in strip clubs creates a significant risk to the safety of nearby women. The report suggests alcohol licensing has direct impacts on community control of stripping venues and leads to no-go zones for women. Project participants reported that any woman in the area was considered to be open to sexual propositions from strangers.
To reduce the risk of harassment and assault, more and more women feel forced to modify their movement throughout the city β especially during the night and early mornings. In this context, public infrastructure and transportation areas like bus stops become sites of harassment, intimidation and other anti-social behaviour.
My latest research suggests that the exploitation of women entrenched in the stripper-and-client relationship extends into the public space and transforms cities into hetero-sexist environments. Media reports of sexual assault cases support this idea.
