Towards multidimensional justice for sex workers: redistribution, recognition, and participation

Abstract In this article, I analyse sex work through Nancy Fraser’s conception of justice in order to situate it within a broader framework of social justice rather than treating it primarily through criminal, moral, or labour-regulatory paradigms. I argue that sex work exemplifies the intersection of structural economic precarity, stigma, cultural misrecognition, and political exclusion. Drawing on Fraser’s framework, in dialogue with Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition and contemporary feminist scholarship, I analyse how redistributive, recognition-based, and participatory approaches can contribute to advancing justice for sex workers. Comparative insights from decriminalisation and rights-based frameworks, including New Zealand, Spain, and Latin American sex worker organisations, demonstrate that meaningful justice requires more than formal legal reform: it demands broader transformations addressing systemic inequality, stigma, and exclusion from political participation. The article ultimately argues that justice for sex workers depends upon a transformation of the economic, cultural, and political structures that sustain inequality.