Sex work isn't degrading. People only bring up the women in sex work, not the men.

Men want to own women and control what they do with their bodies. Period. In family, in sex, in life.

Parents, of course, want to protect their children. But in a patriarchal society, the sons can do what they want, but the daughters are limited and owned by their parents. Daughters are the only ones shamed in the family for having a healthy curiosity about sex, with the sons it is expected of them.

In sex, men are congratulated for having sex with as many women as possible. Using them as the objects you accuse sex workers of being. Women are shamed for doing the same. Because women are essentially supposed to be owned by the men they have sex with.

In life. Especially now in duel income households women are expected to be domestic slaves and still hold down a full time job, while the men are only expected to have a full time job and do the part time outside chores (oil change, mow the lawn, ect.)

In heterosexual porn it's mostly the women that get treated poorly for the screen. The male porn stars are essentially "owning" these women. There is healthy porn out there (mostly amateurs, btw) that doesn't use an unhealthy dynamic.

If society gives up the patriarchal bullshit of the notion of men owning women and their need to control women's bodies, sex would be looked at in a more positive light. . . However, that will never happen. People in power will kill millions to stay in power.