Where is “Sex” in the NAICS?

This business with Eliot Spitzer is bringing up issues in labor economics for me. In particular, how should we refer to Ms. Dupré’s occupation? Some people insist that she was a “sex worker.”

I have a number of problems with this terminology. For one thing, is there any other occupation where the title includes “worker” and the hourly billing rate can be in the quadruple digits? I mean, there are a few cinematic production workers who make that kind of pay – but they’re known invariably by other titles (actors, directors, etc.) – and a few sports workers – but they’re known as athletes – and quite a few finance workers – known as investment bankers, fund managers, and such – and quite a few…I guess I’d have to call them generic workers, since they can be in any industry…but they’re known as corporate executives – and a few legal service workers known as attorneys, and a few professional service workers known as consultants, and maybe a few health care workers known as doctors and surgeons, and so on.

Which brings me to my second, related point, which is that we don’t normally identify an occupation by the industry to which it belongs. The exceptions are sort of residual categories: we do call some people “health care workers” if we can’t think of anything better to call them, but most people in health care occupations (nurses, for example) would probably find it insulting to have their occupation identified as “health care worker.”

According to Wikipedia, a sex worker is someone (anyone, apparently) who works in the “sex industry.” I have a feeling that many people who work in the “sex industry” would be insulted to be called “sex workers” (rather like nurses, if you call them “health care workers”). I mean, really, doesn’t everyone know that the phrase “sex worker” is a euphemism for “prostitute”? (I know, technically, that’s not the case, but in real life, other “sex workers” seem to use the phrase for themselves only when they’re trying to make a show of their solidarity with prostitutes.)

But here’s the real problem: What the hell is the “sex industry”? And more to the point, what kind of industry is it?

• An information industry? (The adult video industry, as best I can tell, is part of NAICS 512110, “Video production,” an information industry.)
  
  
• A personal service industry? (Officially, Miss Dupré was probably working in NAICS 812990, the “Social escort services” industry, a personal service industry. As to what she was actually doing, it seems to me that prostitution is clearly a service, and it’s about as personal as services get.)
  
  
• A food service industry? (I know that doesn’t make much sense, but where do strip clubs fit in the NAICS? As best I can tell, they are part of NAICS 722410, “Night clubs, alcoholic beverage,” a food service industry.)
  
  
• An entertainment industry? (It’s really tough to find a NAICS code that would actually apply here, but aren’t strippers entertainers? Of course strippers also give lap dances, which are really more of a personal service than a form of entertainment. In fact, in that respect I have to question whether strippers are really more like prostitutes than entertainers.)
  
  
• An amusement and recreation industry? (That’s pretty much just a wild guess. But where the hell do brothels fall in the NAICS? There are legal brothels in Nevada, so I assume they must have a NAICS code.)

As far as I can tell, the whole concept of a “sex industry” makes a mockery of the way we normally classify industries. I don’t have a problem with changing the occupational title of prostitutes to something that has less of a stigmatizing history. But “sex worker” just doesn’t do it for me. I’m going to try “personal sexual service provider” (PSSP for short) and see if it catches on. Otherwise I’ll just call them hookers – a term which doesn’t seem to offend people even though its etymology is rather scurrilous.