A Confounding Discourse Analysis of Vietnamese Sex Workers’ Talk in the City of Kaiyuan, China

Background Vietnamese female sex workers (VFSWs) cross the border into Kaiyuan City, Yunnan Province yearly. However, very little is known about both the health and psychological issues VFSWs experience. The objectives of this study were to explore the dominant discourses that emerged from the VFSWs’ talk. The interviews occurred between May 2018 and June 2018 with 20 VFSWs who worked in Kaiyuan City, China. The English translated transcripts were analyzed using an eclectic feminist method of discourse analysis. Two discourses emerged. First, “Agency when working in Karaoke Bars and other Indoor Venues”, and second, “Negative Impacts on Psychological Well-being and Other Problems from Migration.” As for Discourse 1, the VFSWs positioned themselves as having agency over choosing their clientele as well as agency over what they were willing to negotiate with their clients to establish boundaries of their bodies. As for the Discourse 2, while there was a discourse of agency in their work there was also a contrasting, confounding discourse around the negative impact on psychological well-being and reports of stress as a migrant worker. Discourse 1 and Discourse 2 are confounding. When analyzed together, the discourses suggest that the impacts on psychological well-being may be more related to the migrant status of the women, supporting the notion of systemically influenced agency.