PARTTHREE:ARIGHTTOCHOICE

Alexepshtein

In today's interconnected world, it has become increasingly easy to find ourselves trapped within the echo chamber, where our viewpoints are reinforced and rarely challenged. This phenomenon can be particularly troubling when it threatens powerful positions, perpetuates biases, and hinders gender equality. The commercialization of various aspects of women's lives adds another layer of complexity to these struggles. However, by embracing heterogeneity and creating space for women to exercise agency, we can break free from these confines and foster choice. From comparing attitudes to reproductive rights in the US to the UK, I challenge us to think about ways to increase a woman's agency and choice through local and global change.

In her book exploring a woman’s agency in the labour market, Ann Phillips, an advocate for women's autonomy, aptly states, "My body is mine, and I'll do what I want with it." Yet, she also questions this statement, asking whether it really applies when bodily autonomy is restricted, or when the body becomes something monetary. She highlights the harmful consequences of prostitution, emphasising how it serves as a transaction within a political and capitalist framework. When women say they support sex work, this does not mean they support the exploitation of women’s bodies, but rather an acknowledgement that in a capitalist and patriarchal society, this is a viable source of income. In short, the commodification of the female body upholds and capitalizes on a patriarchal society that often times exploits women.

For example, criminalizing sex work attaches negative connotations to the women who participate in it, despite the fact that the people who perpetuate it are mostly men. The ownership is still placed on women who do not have another source of income. It is essential to distinguish between supporting the exploitation of women and supporting the agency of women who engage in sex work for income. This could come in the form of potentially setting up support systems in areas with high sex work,