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“There is Nothing Good About this Work:” Identity and Unhappiness Among Nicaraguan Female Sex Workers

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  • Keith Cox
  • Antonio Casablanca
  • Dan McAdams

Abstract

In a study of life satisfaction in Nicaragua, Cox ( 2012 ) found that female sex workers had dramatically low subjective well-being (SWB) relative to other marginalized groups in Nicaragua. Moreover, the SWB of these female sex workers was possibly the lowest recorded in the life satisfaction literature. A novel theory linking life satisfaction with life stories is proposed, and a method not heretofore used in SWB research is employed, the life story interview, in order to better understand the dramatic unhappiness of this sample. Seeing life satisfaction as an identity invoking process, the sample’s dramatically low life satisfaction judgments are framed within the larger context of narrative identity. Thematic analysis of the stories revealed a prototypical narrative arc: early family conflict, departure from home, a series of unsuccessful romantic relationships, birth of multiple children, dire economic crises, entry into sex work, and hope for a future exit from sex work. The life stories of these participants provided an identity and life course context to understand the dramatic unhappiness of this sample. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Keith Cox & Antonio Casablanca & Dan McAdams, 2013. "“There is Nothing Good About this Work:” Identity and Unhappiness Among Nicaraguan Female Sex Workers," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(5), pages 1459-1478, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:14:y:2013:i:5:p:1459-1478
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-012-9390-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert Biswas-Diener & Joar Vittersø & Ed Diener, 2005. "Most People are Pretty Happy, but There is Cultural Variation: The Inughuit, The Amish, and The Maasai," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 205-226, September.
    2. Keith Cox, 2012. "Happiness and Unhappiness in the Developing World: Life Satisfaction Among Sex Workers, Dump-Dwellers, Urban Poor, and Rural Peasants in Nicaragua," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 103-128, March.
    3. Robert Biswas-Diener & Ed Diener, 2001. "Making the Best of a Bad Situation: Satisfaction in the Slums of Calcutta," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 329-352, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Theresa Dyrvig Henriksen, 2021. "Do Prostitution and Social Vulnerability Go Hand in Hand? Examining the Association Between Social Background and Prostitution Using Register Data," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 26(3), pages 525-543, September.

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