Sex industry - Definition and Overview

The sex industry is the industry formed of commercial enterprises which employ sex workers. What they offer is called adult entertainment, as it comprises a number of forms of entertainment not considered suitable for children.

The sex industry represents a large portion of the world's economy, and has been credited with driving technological advances in popular media, such as the home video and live streaming video on the internet. The vast majority of the sex industry provides for heterosexual men, with homosexual men being the second largest consumers. In many countries, the sex industry operates in a grey area between legality and illegality. Advocates of the sex industry argue that it educates people about sexuality and sexual health and that it sells a product in high demand. They argue that driving the industry underground creates or worsens problems with the industry. Opponents of the industry argue that it is exploitative (particularly of young women), that it is morally damaging to society, and that cheapens sex and encourages sexual objectification of women.

Categories of sex industry:

• Striptease
• Live sex show: a performance on stage where the performers carry out sexual activities.
• Peep show
• Pornography
• Prostitution
• Erotic massage
• Sex shop
• Telephone sex
• Auto-erotic performance

A sex theatre may feature striptease, live sex shows and/or pornographic movies.