Barbara G. Brents

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Professor, Sociology

Expertise: Political Sociology, Social Policy, Gender, Sex Industry, Sexuality

Biography

Barb Brents has spent more than 25 years studying politics, sex and gender. She is considered one of the world’s leading academic experts on the sex industry and Nevada’s legal brothels. Her numerous books and publications use research on sexual commerce to understand the politics of sexuality; the intersections of culture and economics; sexual markets and consumption, and the emotional and bodily labor of selling sex.

Her most recent co-authored book, Paying for Sex in the Digital Age: US and UK Perspectives (Routledge Press, 2020), provides one of the first comprehensive, cross-cultural examinations of the dynamic market for sexual services, an evidence-based look at the multiple factors related to purchasing patterns and demand among clients who have used the internet

As co-author of the book, The State of Sex: Tourism, Sex and Sin in the New American Heartland (Routledge Press, 2010), Brents examines Nevada's brothels and their connection to contemporary tourism. She is also involved in a variety of organizations and projects to promote healthy sexuality and advocate for the human rights of sex workers.

She is also involved in a variety of organizations and collaborative research projects to promote evidence-based reform to the criminal legal system and prostitution law, promote healthy sexuality, and advocate for sex workers’ human rights.

Her research has been featured in the New York Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Wall Street Journal, Time, Rolling Stone, the Daily Beast, Marketplace, Forbes and Business Week. She is also the author or co-author of publications including "Are Men Who Pay for Sex Sexist? Comparing Client Attitudes on Gender Role Equality in Different Prostitution Markets” in Men and Masculinities, “Violence and Legalized Brothel Prostitution in Nevada” in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence," “The Mainstreaming of the Sex industry: Economic Inclusion and Social Ambivalence” in the Journal of Law & Society and "EXPOsing Men’s Gender-Role Attitudes as Porn Superfans" in Sociological Forum.

Education

Ph.D., Sociology, University of Missouri
M.A., Sociology, University of Missouri
B.A., Journalism, University of Missouri

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Barbara G. Brents In The News

Events taking place in March to commemorate Women’s History Month

Morehead State Public Radio: WMKY 90.3

March is Women’s History Month, and several events are being held to commemorate the topic. Dr. Bernadette Barton is a professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at MSU. She said patriarchy works to minimize women’s contributions to the social world by erasing that history.

Debate about commercial sex: What can a ban achieve?

Tagesspiegel

The EU Parliament is calling on states to punish sex buyers instead of sex workers in the future. But there are different opinions as to whether this is the right path.

Why Doesn’t Clark County Have Brothels?

City Cast Las Vegas

For over 50 years, Nevada has been the only U.S. state with legalized prostitution — but it’s only allowed in brothels, and even then, only in a few rural counties. A small grassroots effort is underway this summer to expand legal brothels to Douglas and Churchill Counties — but why not Clark County? How did Sin City opt out of this particular “sin”? Today, co-host Dayvid Figler chats with UNLV sociology professor Barb Brents, a leading expert on sexual commerce, about how we got here, and if (and how) Clark County could get brothels, too.

Misconceptions, debates about legalization surround sex work in Nevada

Sex work and the laws around it can be complex, nuanced and prone to misconceptions — including in Nevada, the only state in the union where prostitution is legal, but only in certain circumstances. Lawmakers, advocates and researchers are often at odds over the best ways to prevent sex trafficking and sexual violence.