title: Savvy Sellers: Dealing Drugs, Doing Gender, and Doing Difference.
abstract: We present findings from two exploratory studies of San Francisco Bay Area women involved in illicit drug sales who saw both advantages and disadvantages to being women in traditionally male-dominated drug economies. We interviewed 160 sellers of street drugs and 50 sellers of prescription drugs during 2006-2009. Women perceived gender as a cover and managed their vulnerabilities by performing gendered actions and at times going against traditional gender expectations to protect themselves in harsh drug markets. The intersecting factors of race and type of drug sold played a crucial role, revealing the complex nature of women's social location in their drug-selling worlds. Study limitations are noted.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Scientific Analysis, San Francisco , California , USA.
authors.forename: Micheline D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ludwick
authors.forename: Sheigla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sales
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003132:Commerce / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003416:Criminal Law; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012495:San Francisco; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs
keywords: drug dealing; drug markets; gender; intersectionality theory; prescription drugs; street drugs; women and drug use