Basic Info

Kathleen Barry (b. 1941) is an American sociologist and radical feminist, co‑founder of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), and author of influential works including Female Sexual Slavery (1979) and The Prostitution of Sexuality (1995)

• Prostitution equals oppression, never consent Barry argues that even apparent consent in prostitution is invalid, as it occurs under conditions of misogynistic domination and socio-economic coercion. She rejects the concept of legitimate sex work entirely .
• Objectification as the root of exploitation She frames prostitution as the objectification of women—reducing them to commodities for male use—which in her view underlies all forms of patriarchal violence .
• Global system maintained by normalization Barry sees the normalization of prostitution—through pornography or liberal sex cultures—as extending exploitation into everyday life, reinforcing global inequality and heteropatriarchal control

Barry rejects any distinction between consensual sex work and trafficking, using terms like “sexual slavery” in a universal sense. Critics argue this conflation undermines nuanced rights-based debates and policy frameworks

Her approach is steeped in moral metaphors—portraying women as “empty holes” or interchangeable with sex dolls—which echoes patriarchal moralism more than feminist inquiry

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