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Comment by swiftcoder | Hacker News Reader

Please do enumerate these other jobs that are available to the Filipino currently performing this job for... checks notes... $2/hour?

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Please say what you think the hourly average wage is in the Philippines and how you conclude that this isn't the woman's best option despite her revealed preference that it is.

I don't think you and I are disagreeing here? The article explicitly states that she only took this work because she couldn't find other work, and that she dislikes the work intensely (... but has no better job prospects)

So what is your point exactly? That we as a society should see to it that no matter how much sex work pays, we provide an equally high-paying and easy job for people? What do you propose?

I'd endorse that principle. It's true, of course, that societies without an abundance of easy and high-paying jobs may struggle to satisfy it except by banning sex work.

The person I was replying to suggested that this person voluntarily chose this job over a bunch of equally good jobs. My point is that this is at best a mischaracterisation - they chose this job because of economic necessity.

Yes, it may be that it pays more than equivalent non-porn jobs due to being rooted in foreign exchange. But that doesn't make it any more voluntary

How is that different than the reason most people work? Mining coal, putting out oil fires, industrial fishing. These are not only unpleasant - they are also dangerous.

Agreed. Again, I was only responding to the original comment that this was a choice among equally good alternatives

I don't think anyone was saying or even implying that there were equally good alternatives. Being a con-man might be your best option if you're naturally gifted at lying. But that doesn't mean you get to complain that you're being exploited by the jail.

I did not suggest that she chose it over equally good jobs. Reread my comment. I said she chose it over any other job available to her. Therefore it is by definition the best job available to her by her own admission. Do you disagree with any of that?

> As of early 2026, the minimum wage in the Philippines is set daily rather than hourly and varies by region, with a common daily minimum of approximately 695 PHP in some sectors, often equating to less than $2 USD per hour

Pretty much any Wagie job?

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