5 ms·

What do unemployment benefits have to do with legal prostitution?

bjourne 5y ago
In many countries to be eligible for unemployment benefits you have to take any job available. Thus, it stands to reason that if prostitution was legal, such jobs would be available to people with unemployment benefits and they would be required to take them. The US may be different since it's social security system is very primitive. There, the choice would perhaps be between working as a prostitute and starving. Which, obviously, isn't a free choice.
- kadoban 5y ago
  "any job available" is overstating it. I'd be shocked if that's how it works _anywhere_. It certainly isn't in the US. For example, here's the requirement from my particular state: "You will lose your unemployment benefit if you turn down an offer of "suitable" work without "good cause." Suitable work is work that fits your training, experience, skills, health, physical fitness, prior earnings, and is within 20 miles of your home" Two other large states had similar requirements. I could not find any with a "you must take any available job" requirement. There's no way that could be even vaguely construed as requiring someone to take a sex work job if it's available.
  - bjourne 5y ago
    Yeah, that is exactly what it means. You cannot have the cake and eat it to. If selling sex is a normal job like waiting tables or coal mining (others' examples, not mine: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26898169 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26898169) then there is absolutely nothing stopping an unemployment office from compelling a benefactor to prostitution.
    - InvertedRhodium 5y ago
      I can assure you that at least our welfare system here in NZ doesn't require you to take literally any job. We also have legalized prostitution for nearly 20 years with essentially no negative consequences.
    - alsetmusic 5y ago
      If this were true, where are the people forced to accept jobs stripping because the unemployment office forced them into it? Further, what porn actors were forced by the same system?

In many countries to be eligible for unemployment benefits you have to take any job available. Thus, it stands to reason that if prostitution was legal, such jobs would be available to people with unemployment benefits and they would be required to take them. The US may be different since it's social security system is very primitive. There, the choice would perhaps be between working as a prostitute and starving. Which, obviously, isn't a free choice.

kadoban 5y ago
"any job available" is overstating it. I'd be shocked if that's how it works _anywhere_. It certainly isn't in the US. For example, here's the requirement from my particular state: "You will lose your unemployment benefit if you turn down an offer of "suitable" work without "good cause." Suitable work is work that fits your training, experience, skills, health, physical fitness, prior earnings, and is within 20 miles of your home" Two other large states had similar requirements. I could not find any with a "you must take any available job" requirement. There's no way that could be even vaguely construed as requiring someone to take a sex work job if it's available.
- bjourne 5y ago
  Yeah, that is exactly what it means. You cannot have the cake and eat it to. If selling sex is a normal job like waiting tables or coal mining (others' examples, not mine: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26898169 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26898169) then there is absolutely nothing stopping an unemployment office from compelling a benefactor to prostitution.
  - InvertedRhodium 5y ago
    I can assure you that at least our welfare system here in NZ doesn't require you to take literally any job. We also have legalized prostitution for nearly 20 years with essentially no negative consequences.
  - alsetmusic 5y ago
    If this were true, where are the people forced to accept jobs stripping because the unemployment office forced them into it? Further, what porn actors were forced by the same system?