Ministry of Justice: Prostitution-Law-Review-Committee: 2008: The Impact of the Prostitution Reform Act on the Health and Safety Practices of Sex Workers

Section 5.2.1 discusses the reasons sex workers give for entering the sex industry, looking at financial, social, identity and legal incentives as reported by the participants in the survey and qualitative interviews. Information on how sex workers can keep themselves safe is variable on entry into sex work and this is discussed in section 5.2.2. The length of time sex workers expect to spend in the industry can vary and this will be explored in section 5.2.3, as well as the rationales given for staying in the industry (section 5.2.4). In most cases, sex workers accept payment only in the form of money, but some sex workers do accept other forms of payment. Section 5.2.5 explores whether different sectors or workers in different geographic locations are more or less likely to take alternative imbursements. The participants in both the survey and the qualitative interviews articulated a number of benefits, as well as some disadvantages, of working in the sex industry and these are discussed in section 5.2.6.

Section 5.3 then goes on to look at movement within the industry, and whether it is movement between different sectors of the industry, or movement within sectors to different places of work. Participants also reported on the reasons behind their movement of place of work. A discussion is provided in section 5.4 on breaks in working, which are reported by many participants. Some of these breaks are short ones, while other breaks are for longer than two years. Participants talked of the reasons for breaks, their reasons for returning to the industry and what would make it difficult and what would make it easier to leave the industry.

It is a limitation of cross-sectional studies that they provide a snapshot of a particular situation at one point in time. All the sex workers in this study were current sex workers and two thirds of survey participants had been working for longer than two years; 23% for longer than 10 years (see Section 4). Only 20% of survey participants had been working for less than one year. A cross-sectional survey study would almost invariably capture more long-term than short-term workers. This may introduce bias in reporting of reasons for entry into the sex industry, as people who have entered for only a short period may have different motives for working than people who remain in the industry for a long time. Other researchers, such as Vanwesenbeeck, have highlighted concerns with using questionnaire data to investigate motivations for people entering the sex industry (Vanwesenbeeck, 2001). It is not possible to illuminate the context in which this decision is made within such a format. Few studies have investigated in-depth the motivations behind the entry into sex work. It is a strength of this study that in-depth interviews have been done in addition to the survey so that a discussion of the contextual aspects of entry into sex work can accompany the quantitative findings.

It is also a limitation of this study that all the participants were currently working in the sex industry; therefore, a discussion on successful exiting strategies is not possible. Many sex workers enter and leave the industry a number of times before finally exiting completely (Benoit & Millar, 2001; Dalla, 2006). Half the survey participants in this study had exited for a period, yet all had returned. A longitudinal cohort study, following a group of sex workers over a number of years, potentially from entry through to exit and beyond, would provide the most valuable information on motivations for entry as well as successful exiting strategies. This study does provide important information in these areas through utilising both survey and in-depth interview data, but the reader should bear in mind the limitations mentioned.

Overall, participants in the survey reported reasons for entry into sex work as principally financial (see Table 5.1). Over 90% of participants reported that they started working for the money, with almost three quarters indicating that they needed money to pay for household expenses and 61.5% wanting money to pay for their social lives. Over half of participants wanted to save, which was significantly more likely to be reported by managed and private workers than street-based workers. Managed workers were more likely than participants in other sectors to need money to support their children or family. Half of the street-based worker participants said that they had no other source of income and nearly one third were unable to access either parental or government support in the form of a benefit.

The qualitative data on entry into the sex work sector supported the findings from the quantitative data. Most of the participants described starting sex work for financial reasons, including paying for household bills, to pay off debt and to save.

… it was basically the money, 'cause I’d had a split up, I split up from my husband, so I was here on my own. Split up from my husband. And um I was working… so I had to do so many hours a week to make so much, and it’s fucking hard work. And I thought, "I need to do another job that is not as physically hard, but it’s good money." And then I saw that ad and I thought, "Okay, I’ll try that." And yeah, one night a week, I made two week’s wages in one night. You know, and I said, "Wake up," you know.

Maureen, Street, Female, Auckland

I’d just, if I remember correctly, it was like coming up towards Christmas and I lost my job. And I’d just been and got a personal loan for a car and blah-de-blah-de-blah, and it was just, yeah, right on Christmas, and yeah, it just, I needed a lot of money fast and this was the only way to do it. Simple.

Marge, Managed, Female, Auckland

I looked into a secondary job to get my car and the tax is just so ridiculous. I couldn’t get my car, you know. I was like going to be hitting a brick wall like for my secondary job. So my friend said, "What about seeing about becoming a working lady and see how you go. So I went to see some parlours first in town here and didn’t want me. So that’s when I looked in the paper and found this private house and went to work there. So yeah.

Liz, Private and Managed, Female, Auckland

Some participants who worked in the managed or private sector described choosing to enter the sex work industry because of the flexibility and financial benefits it provided around both child care arrangements and the pursuit of hobbies or interests. Many of these participants expressed wanting to be self reliant and not dependant on a government benefit.

I always intended on going back to work after having baby. I didn’t want to be on benefit. I don’t want to be reliant on the government, and a lot of jobs don’t offer the kind of finances that I want…I want to spoil my child.

Diane, Managed, Female, Christchurch

I went onto the benefit, and um I really wanted to be doing something, 'cause I like to make my own money. I don’t like to get money for nothing. So I was looking through the paper and - with my two girls… and saw this ad, "Fantasy phone line" and I said, "Oh look at that, ‘Fantasy phone calls’", and my daughter said, "Go on, mum, ring it, cause you’d be good at that, cause you talk about it all the time." (Laugh)

Petal, Private, Female, Christchurch

Analysis of the survey data revealed that sex workers who started working in the sex industry prior to the age of 18 years (35.0%), were significantly more likely than sex workers who were over the age of 18 years at the start of sex work (9.5%) to report that they could not get the benefit or parental support (χ²=155.1; df=1; p<0.0001). This was supported by the qualitative data:

I found out I could survive that way, 'cause I was so young when I started. I was too young for the dole, I had no experience for a job… Um 14. It just happened by itself. It just, you know, it just all unfolded by itself.

Paul, Private, Male, Auckland

Money. No, no benefit then really…Oh there was a benefit, but one didn’t know how to, 'cause one had left home… I just saw, I saw one person like me, and um, "Yeah, I can get some money like this. Oh yeah, okay then." And just, yeah.

Bev, Street, Transgender, Auckland

Well um at that time I wasn’t receiving any income, so um one of my friends offered to take me, you know, offered me, there was a way for me to make some money. So um yeah, she took me to the street and that’s how I found out how to make money so I could survive.

Toni, Street, Female, Wellington

When I was 14 I started living on the streets, and then I thought, oh, you know, I can’t support myself any other way apart from, you know, giving out my body. And so when I lost my virginity when I was 15, that’s when I started working on the streets, yeah. Um it was more friends that were working on the streets and I heard about it and so I thought, "Oh yeah, money, heaps of drugs and, yeah, alcohol, and, yay, party."

Sally, Street, Female, Christchurch

Half of street-based workers in the survey indicated that they started sex work to support their alcohol or drug use (see Table 5.1).

There were significant differences in motivations for entry into sex work between female, male and transgender workers (see Table 5.2). Female sex workers in the survey reported entering the sex industry predominantly for financial reasons. They were more likely than both male and transgender workers to report that they wanted to save up for something or support children or families, but less likely to report not having any other source of income at the start of sex work. Male participants, however, were more likely than both transgender and female participants to report that they were unable to get a benefit or parental support and were also more likely to report using the money to support their drug or alcohol use. There was no talk in the qualitative interviews of gang involvement or coercion.

5.2.1.2 Social influences Street-based workers in the survey were more likely than participants in other sectors to have been influenced by others in their decision to enter the industry (see Table 5.1). More than half of the street-based workers in the survey reported that they started working because they had a friend in the industry and a fifth were minding a friend on the street when they were asked to join the industry. Male and transgender sex workers reported social influences as having been an important factor in their entry into sex work (see Table 5.2). They were more likely than female participants to report that they had a friend in the industry at the time or that they were minding a friend when they were asked to join. Many participants in the in-depth interviews described being influenced by others including friends and family members in their decision to enter the industry.

I’d seen my little sister having all this money in town one day and I was wondering where she got it from. So I asked her and she wouldn’t tell me. She just said for me to um meet up with her that night. And on that night um met up with a friend’s house that she was showing me. At that stage I had no idea there was even such thing called Manchester Street.

Joyce, Street, Female, Christchurch

Okay, um my mother worked. Um she’s been a sex worker for um (.) well ever since I’ve ever, well, yeah, I think she’s always been one, and I didn’t find out till I was 14. And I thought well if my mum can do it, it must be okay. So therefore then I started doing it, because mum never told me, you know, not to do it and it was wrong and I shouldn’t be doing it. So I just really followed in her footsteps…She’s she’s really happy because I was taking home money.

Joan, Street, Female, Christchurch

Actually um (.) it was through a friend who owned a parlour And that’s how I came to, yeah, I’m a bit of a nandy-pandy and I don’t think I would have just sort of would have gone into it, but I had a friend who owned one and so I was just like um curious.

Pat, Managed, Female, Christchurch

There were only a small proportion of street-based workers (8.1%) in the survey who indicated that they had been made to work, yet they were more likely than participants in other sectors to report this. There was a significant difference in reporting of being made to work between young and older workers. Participants who were under the age of 18 years when they started sex work were more likely (9.5%) to report being made to work by someone than were participants (2.5%) who were over the age of 18 years at the start of sex work (χ²=44.7; df=1; p<0.0001). Only one of the participants in the qualitative interviews discussed being made to work:

Um I got made to work out in the street, and I was bleeding. Um it was classed as a life and death situation. I’d just found out that I’d lost my baby, and my ex-partner now, but my partner at the time, um got me from the hospital and made me stand out on the street and work and get money. But um yeah, which, which was really stupid because it just made my insides stuff up even more and I can’t have children. So yeah, that kind of stuffed it up. I um got rushed back to hospital. Yeah, they found me out on the street.

Joyce, Street, Female, Christchurch

The image of sex work was also an important reason for entering the industry for many participants. A quarter of survey participants thought that the work looked exciting and glamorous and a fifth also reported that sex workers looked like they were fun to be with (see Table 5.1). This was especially the case for participants who worked on the streets. Half of all survey participants were also curious about the industry prior to entering.

Many participants in the qualitative cohort described being interested in sex work as an occupation because it seemed exciting and that it provided them with an occupation in which they could explore their own sexuality.

When I was managing um and met the dominatrix, it was really interesting, and quite intricate in regards to the B & D and the psychology behind it and I found that quite intriguing um and just wanted to know more about it.

Becky, Managed, Female, Auckland

I developed um a fascination with history, and of course being a woman, you tend to look at the woman’s side of history. And a huge part of that, for many years that was the only job that women could really do and earn a decent living. Now there were other jobs they could do, but they couldn’t really earn that much. So of course I started researching the history of that and found I got slightly more and more obsessed, and yeah, definitely about 4 years of laying my hands on anything I could about it, reading everything in the library, the Internet…So I’ve just sort of kept going and I’ve got my goals, I want a house and I want to travel, and in this society you need money to do that. And this job pays a lot better than a lot of other jobs that are out there for women my age or just people my age in general. So you know, why not, I’m a consenting adult of you know, over age. What’s the problem?

Sheila, Managed, Female, Auckland

For sex, that was purely the reason and I can get paid for it instead of just, you know, with the girls out there giving it for free. I thought I could make money as well as have pleasure.

Dee, Managed, Female, Wellington

Um to be honest, it was just curiosity that sort of got me into the sex work. Um I used, I used to stay with um a friend of mine and she was also a sex worker, and there were 4 of us at that time. And my friend and the other 2 used to come out and go sex work, and I had to sort of just stay home and be kind of like Cinderella. But every time they used to come home, they used to be smiling, happy, and have a lot to talk about, and I felt like I was missing out on something. So I just sort of, yeah, jumped out on the motorway one night with um another friend, who didn’t stay with us, but she was also staying at where I was staying, and yeah, hitched into town with her and that’s where it all started.

Kyra, Managed, Female, Wellington

Identity influences, such as the perception that sex work was exciting and glamorous, sex workers looked like they were fun to be with and that they were curious were also reported more often by male and transgender sex workers than female sex workers (see Table 5.2). Male and transgender participants were also significantly more likely than female participants to report that they entered the sex industry because they were exploring their sexuality.

Sex work provided transgender participants with an important connection to their culture and identity. In in-depth interviews, many transgender participants discussed experiencing discrimination when seeking employment and how sex work was one of a limited number of career options available to them. Entering the sex work profession was described as significant for meeting other transgender people and learning and experiencing transgender culture/identity.

It was mainly through friends. It was, it was just, it was excitement, it was um something different. We were only young, it was pocket money, you know, yeah. Um (.) I think it was part of being different, yeah. It was, I mean, yeah, we were just a whole group of us… Um the the getting from the clients some sort of validation of being transsexual.

Dora, Street, Transgender, Auckland

Initially when I first did it, it was um out of curiosity, like as um back in the early ‘70’s when I first went to Auckland to live…It was purely out of curiosity cause everyone else that, all my other friends, they did it. I was the only odd ball out at that time… for me being a sex worker, it was more, more about returning to my roots, I suppose…And still keeping in touch with people, like like-minded and like myself, yeah.

Georgia, Street and Managed, Transgender, Wellington

A quarter of survey participants said that one of the reasons they entered the industry was because it was not against the law (see Table 5.1). As some participants had entered the industry subsequent to the enactment of the PRA in 2003, whilst others had been working for a longer time, there were predictable differences in reporting of this between long-term and short-term sex workers. Participants who entered the sex industry within the previous two years to the date of the survey were significantly more likely (41%) than participants who had been working between two and four years (30%) and participants who had been working for longer than four years (15%) to report entering the sex industry because it was not against the law (χ²=70.3 d.f=2; p<0.0001).

Few participants in the qualitative interviews described choosing to enter the sex industry because it was not against the law. The financial benefits and flexibility sex work provided were described as more important reasons for entering the industry. Those that had entered the industry after 2003 did describe how they were aware that sex work was decriminalised and that they had rights, but the legislation was not cited as a major reason for entering the industry.

… I’ve worked illegally, you know, in other jobs. You know, I’ve worked under the table and that sort of thing. So, you know, I guess, I guess I would say I probably would have done it (sex work) anyway. But um you know, I certainly felt that because it was legal, it did, it did (.) yeah, I felt more safer about it, yeah.

Jenny, Managed, Female, Wellington

Well it is legally for us a job…So you know, my opinion on it is now, now that the laws have changed, it is for us, it’s a professional job and I don’t see any bad things about it, cause you know, everyone in life goes through that stage where they go through so much.

Joan, Street, Female, Christchurch

The 1999 Christchurch study also asked reasons for entering the sex industry, but gave fewer options than the 2006 study. The only options provided in 1999 were: household expenses, social life/going out/luxuries, saving up, education, kids, made to work by somebody and to support drug use. In addition, participants in 1999 were only required to tick one option, whereas in 2006, multiple options could be selected. The most reported response participants in 1999 gave as the main use of their money on entry into sex work was for paying household expenses (43% of managed and private workers and 33% of street-based workers) . More Christchurch female sex workers in 2006 were likely to report entering the sex industry to pay household expenses (81% of managed and private workers and 71% of street-based workers), but a similar proportion of street-based workers in 2006 (34%) to 1999 (38%) reported needing the money to pay for drugs. Caution should be taken, however, in drawing comparisons as multiple options were possible in 2006 and only the main reason for entry into the industry was requested in 1999. Percentages for all options would, therefore, be higher in 2006 than in 1999.

On starting sex work, the majority of all survey participants reported that they got useful information and advice about work from co-workers (see Table 5.3). Managed workers also reported getting information from their employers. NZPC was cited by 44.1% of participants as being a source of advice on starting in the industry. Street-based workers were significantly more likely than private or managed participants to cite friends and family as providing information at the start of sex work. A third of street-based workers, however, said that they had got advice from nobody when they started working. Almost two thirds of participants said that they had received enough advice and information when they started working to keep themselves safe. Managed workers were significantly more likely than street-based or private participants to report that they had enough information.

In the qualitative interviews, managed workers described diverse experiences of receiving information at entry into sex work. Some described having received little information, whilst others had received much useful information, especially from their co-workers and employers. Some participants described actively searching for information themselves, such as visiting various brothels, NZPC and researching the internet.

Some of them (friends) were really informative and showed me the sex workers books and you know, because I was curious. This one particular worker book, she um had to go hassle one of the receptionists to find it… It was one supplied by NZPC.

Vicky, Managed, Female, Wellington

No, no, they had nothing. They had nothing, they had nothing on STDs anywhere. They had no information about NZPC. They sold all their girls the condoms. They didn’t tell any of the - none of the girls even knew that there was NZPC.

Jenny, Managed, Female, Wellington.

She (the manager) spoke to me for 3 hours. It was like a sensory overload almost, because I was trying to remember all the stuff. Once I got into the room it was just, it was so easy.

Vicky, Managed, Female, Wellington

Anything that hasn’t been advised to me, I have gone and sought myself either through NZPC or Sexual Health Centre or, you know. Or if I wanted to know something, I looked it up on the Internet. You know, if I wasn’t sure of something.

Dianne, Managed, Female, Christchurch

Survey participants were asked how long they expected to stay in the sex industry. There were significant differences between new entrants and participants who had been in the industry for longer than a year. Only 20.9% of survey participants (N=142) had worked in the industry for less than a year, but these participants were more likely than the longer-term participants to report that they expected to stay in the industry for less than a year (see Table 5.4). Short-term workers were also significantly less likely than long-term workers to report that they would be in the industry for longer than five years. Almost a third of participants were unsure of how long they would be working in the industry, with longer-term participants more likely than short-term participants to indicate that they did not know how much longer they would be working.

Most of the participants in the qualitative interviews also expressed some uncertainty about their expected length of stay in the industry. Younger participants who worked in the managed sector tended to describe working to a plan, such as working to save to go overseas. These plans varied in length:

I think 25 (years old) about max…in about 5 years… cause it will be good to get heaps of savings and then by the time I’m 25 be able to put it for a house or something…Really, cause I’ve just been partying. That was like last year and now and now it’s like it’s been a year, I think I don’t want to do this forever.

Caroline, Managed, Female, Christchurch

Table 5.4 Expected length of stay in the sex industry by years of working in the industry†.

Few street-based workers discussed how long they would remain in the sex industry. Street-based workers who did discuss this described leaving when they could ‘turn their life around’, such as when they could get on a drug rehabilitation programme.

So then (on entering a drug rehabilitation programme) I will be quitting, because I’m just at that point where I need to turn my life around, and I know I can do it, because I’m just, you know, I’ve had enough and I want to do it. I want to make changes. I can’t do that if I’m still working, you know.

Joan, Street, Female, Christchurch

Transgender participants described having no expected length of stay in the industry.

If I want to (leave) I will, when I don’t, I won’t. I mean if I’m there and I’m able, I might, you know. And yeah, so it’s always been like that.

Dora, Street, Transgender, Auckland.

Older, more experienced participants also discussed uncertainty about expected length of stay in the industry. Many discussed getting older and not wanting to ‘be in the industry forever,’ however few had specific ideas about how long they intended to stay in the industry.

I sort of think I’ll leave when if I complete a PhD and become a lecturer…I would probably keep working cause I’ve got debts at the moment. Yeah, I think I’ll probably keep doing it for a bit longer. It’s quite good having a full time job and then working a couple of evenings a week.

Brenda, Private, Female, Wellington

Yeah, like I’m really, I’m getting to a stage now, I’m 34, it’s like I’m not young and (.) dumb or – I’m just so much more aware of things that it’s actually hard for me to do the job now. It’s quite a bit of a struggle mentally… like mentally I’m able to handle the job better than when I was younger, because I don’t need the can actually mentally handle it now.

Mandy, Managed, Female, Nelson

Table 5.5 presents the survey data on reasons for staying in the sex industry. Similar to reasons for entry into the industry, financial motives remained the key factor for survey participants in all sectors. Over a third of all participants (39%) reported that they remained in sex work because they enjoyed the sex and street-based workers were the most likely sector to report this. Socially, more than 40% of street-based workers also reported that all their friends were in the industry and nearly half of all managed and street-based workers indicated that sex workers were friendly and fun to be with. Sex work as a job option was also valued by more than 80% of the participants because of its flexible working hours. A quarter of all survey participants did not want to do any other work. Street-based workers were more likely than managed or private workers to report that they did not know what else to do, that they could not get help to leave and they did not know how to leave.

The street sector survey participants were significantly more likely than the managed and private sector to accept all other options for payment for work other than money (see Table 5.6). More than 50% reported accepting drugs and over a fifth accepted alcohol for work. A fifth of street-based workers also reported exchanging their services for shelter or a place to stay. There were significant differences in acceptance of other forms of payment for service for street-based workers in the different geographical locations (see Table 5.7). Auckland street-based workers were more likely than street-based workers in Christchurch and Wellington to accept all other forms of payment for services in addition to money. It should be noted, however, that the standard errors are large given small numbers. However, most notably, 69.9% of Auckland street-based workers would accept payment in the form of drugs compared to 35.4% of Christchurch and 43.2% of Wellington street-based workers.

Table 5.7 Payment for services for street workers in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington†

In qualitative interviews, street-based workers did discuss experiences of accepting payments other than money for sex work. Most of these experiences tended to occur when participants were young and new to the sex industry, unsure of what payment to accept. Older workers were concerned about under-cutting the going rate and creating unfair competition. Participants who had worked for a longer period of time in the street sector were all keen to stress that they consistently demanded money for sex, refusing other payments for sex.

My first time I was perfect. Well I thought I was, but then they asked how much I wanted and that’s where I got all confused…Well I was 14. A packet of cigarettes was the best I could get at the time…And I thought I was the best one in town.

Tania, Street, Transgender, Christchurch

… because a lot of the younger girls out there cause trouble, ripping off clients, doing cheap jobs, which makes us ones, that have been out there for years that stick to our prices, lose out on work.

Sarah, Street, Female, Christchurch

Very few participants reported that they had not benefited in some way from working in the sex industry (see Table 5.8). The main benefits indicated by the survey participants were the fact that they had survived, made new friends and made more money through working in the sex industry. In terms of long term financial security, street-based workers were significantly less likely than managed or private workers to report that they had managed to save, had achieved a better lifestyle, had more assets, had more money, had been able to travel and had paid debts. For street-based workers, survival was a key benefit of working in the industry and 96.9% of street-based participants reported this. Many participants from all sectors, but especially the private sector, enjoyed the contact that they had with most clients as well as the sex.

In the qualitative interviews, participants all discussed benefits they experienced from working in the sex industry. These benefits included having flexibility and freedom in their workplace, learning new workplace skills, meeting a variety of people and experiencing a sense of belonging.

Participants who worked in the private sector and on the streets described having independence and the ability to be one’s ‘own boss’ as positive features of the industry. Those who worked in the street sector described the camaraderie of workers as a major benefit of working.

Love it, I love it. I love meeting the people, I love doing what I do, I love like, you know, to me it’s, oh some girls it may be just for money. With me it’s not, it’s money, yes, but I work for myself, which I love. Money, independence, um (.) meeting a variety of people. Like for me, like I have from young to quite old, so I have a variety of people. And working, like working part-time in a parlour, I get to meet other girls.

Liz, Private and Managed, Female, Auckland

It’s completely flexible. Um like if I don’t want to work (.) it’s completely flexible, if I don’t want to work, I don’t have to put the phone on. I can choose to put an ad in, not to put an ad in. Um I don’t have any employees, I don’t have a boss, so it’s just up to me.

Brenda, Private, Female, Wellington

Um I think it’s the um independence. Like you know your ability – well I’m talking from a street perspective - it’s your ability to choose. I mean you don’t have to hop in a car with a guy. You don’t have to do a job. You can tell him to piss off, you know. Um it’s (.) um the adventure, I suppose, the excitement of not knowing what’s going to happen that night. It’s a bit of that. Um there’s the money, which um can be good…I mean you work how long you want to work. I mean you can go out do a job, pop around to the bar, have a dance, you know, um go and see someone, have a chat and go back to work or something, you know. I mean it's just lots of freedom, yeah.

Dora, Street, Transgender, Auckland

Meeting different women, I’ve seen their backgrounds and meeting different friends and the loyal ones, you know. Like most of my loyalest friends are out here. My bestest friend ever come out here. It’s like since I’ve been working and I told her and she’s even been out here. But, you know, my truest friends are the ones out here, the ones that will look after you if anything happens. And they’ve got your back and you know there’s nothing to worry about. And that if you go missing, you know, everybody will be looking for you. You know, it’s like a family, it’s a lifestyle.

Sally, Street, Female, Christchurch

…feeling like you belong somewhere. Like most of the girls out there have had similar lifestyle…you just have that bond, which um, yeah, like a lot of people don’t, yeah can’t see or don’t know what they’ve been through. People are too quick to judge these days. Like they’re not bad people and (.) you know, we’re not all rebels.

Sandy, Street, Female, Christchurch

Participants who worked in the managed sector described many benefits of working in the sex industry including the flexibility it provided around childcare commitments, the ability to acquire new skills such as in management and book keeping, the ability to save money, meet people and make friends.

For me I think it’s a great weekend job to buy my house faster, and afford the little luxuries that I’ve come to enjoy. Um and I think it’s a job that you need to think about a bit before you go into it, and if you go into it, to go into it um (.) mentally prepared, because a lot of girls are brought up with, "Oh sex is between two loving people," and all that sort of thing. And it can be, but even outside of work, it’s not always like that. Um and (.)

Sheila, Managed, Female, Auckland

The hours and although you can get (?) off every now and again, the flexibility of the industry is what’s kept me in it, especially as a mother.

Karen, Managed, Female, Christchurch

Well the good things is um meeting new people with different nationalities, um and yes, of course, you make money, which is good. Um the bad things is when you get real bad guys or drunks, which are not very nice. But otherwise, no, it’s pretty good.

Hilda, Managed, Female, Napier

Participants also described some of the negative aspects of working in the sex industry. Descriptions of the negative aspects included continuing stigma and harassment from the general public to street-based workers, safety issues for all sex workers, the health consequences of shift work and inequitable work environments experienced by some in the managed sector. Some participants also discussed the temptations of activities on the fringes of the sex industry such as drugs and alcohol.

Oh let me see, the negative, I guess, would be um (.) patience, um waiting for customers on quiet nights, and you get tired, and you have to stay in the premises, um the places I’ve worked. Most of them, not some of them, there are some places that were more easy going… sometimes there are arseholes, I guess. You know, you get - see most of my customers have been real um, I suppose, sweethearts, honeys, you know, get real nice guys, and I suppose that outweighs the guys that aren’t so nice.

Dee, Managed, Female, Wellington

Um I really don’t think that there’s anything a law change would bring about to reduce the stigma and the attitudes that people in general have about the industry, um because most attitudes and opinions about us hookers is based on ignorance, bigotry, intolerance, and jealousy. And until those things change, there really isn’t a whole lot more. I mean you can’t really pass an amendment to the act to say that they’re not allowed to treat us (?) any more - they have to say ‘hello’ – you can’t, you know, that’s um that’s not going to happen. But beyond that, no. I think it’s good that we are finally um able to do what we’ve got to do, whether we’ve got to do it for however long we have to do it, without the fear of being caught, arrested and being plastered around as guilty. For well, you know, at the end of the day all we’re trying to do is get by like everybody else. It’s just a job.

Marge, Managed, Female, Auckland

The wear and tear on your body. Um looking after yourself so you don’t burn out and stuff, mentally and physically and spiritually, I guess, and being yourself throughout that whole time.

Becky, Managed, Female, Auckland

Yeah, um sometimes the elements, like it could be cold. Like I didn’t really work much in winter, cause you can’t really look sexy in a big, you know, overcoat or anything, yeah. Um (.) sometimes the (.) yeah, mainly standing around a bit if it’s a quiet night. Um up in Auckland, up here in Auckland I found it can be a bit scary feeling… yeah, and oh and the public sometimes. Like guys cruising past yelling and screaming. Um I know that for a while in Wellington it went through a really bad stage of people throwing eggs from their cars, um people throwing bottles…sometimes the um clients might be drunk or something, you know, you get that, a little bit of that. Um a downside too is the drugs, sometimes there’s a lot of drugs around, it can be a temptation.

Dora, Street, Transgender, Auckland

Some participants were keen to stress the active role of the sex worker to work professionally, be ‘strong willed’ such as avoiding drug taking and alcohol use at work. These participants discussed the need to maintain one’s health, such as by not overworking and having interests outside of work. This focus on health and wellbeing could dissipate many of the negative aspects of the profession.

I think it’s a good job if you can do it alcohol free, if you can do it for the right reasons. If you have a family and you were wanting to enable the family to have a better lifestyle, um private schools yeah. It can be good, and it can be a rewarding industry, but you do tend to meet some low lifes along the way…But if you’re strong willed and just say ‘no’, then you’re home and hosed.

Becky, Managed, Female, Auckland

I think it’s great if you use it in the right way. If you abuse it, then it’s not going to be great…Um abusing it is if you go out there to pay your drug fix, to get drugs and alcohol. Um good things are for your kids. You know, I mean I know one woman out there, she basically worked so that her kids could go on a school camping trip. I mean that I have no problem with, but to, you know, have someone who’s basically like wanting just to get a high or a quick fix, I mean that’s disgusting. I think that’s abusing the job.

Terri, Street, Transgender, Christchurch

Um (.) I don’t really think that there are good things or bad things about it. I think that it’s fairly much, it’s (.) I I think of it now as a fairly normal job. It doesn’t, I know other people think of it as abnormal or unusual. Um but for me I’m so used to this now. It doesn’t, it doesn’t really have that much of an effect. I’ve learnt to deal with um not – well I’ve started not to overwork, only doing a few clients in one day. Pacing myself and not getting stressed out by the clients I do see. Um I don’t think that there are – for myself there are no bad points to doing this at all.

Jack, Private, Male, Wellington

The majority of street-based workers and managed workers in the survey had not moved sectors during the course of their time in the sex industry, with 78.8% of street-based workers starting work on the streets and 92.3% of managed workers starting in the managed sector (see Table 5.9). Half of surveyed private workers had, however, begun their work in the sex industry in the managed sector.

Table 5.9 Sector of original employment by sector of current employment in the sex industry†

Workers in the street sector were less likely than those in the private and managed sectors to have moved place of work (see Table 5.10). Place of work is different to sector in that managed workers may have moved from one brothel to another and street-based workers may have moved from one block on the street (or one city) to another. Private workers may have moved between different shared premises or to working totally independently. Most private workers, who had moved place of work, indicated that they had moved because they had more control over their work practices and/or choice of client (see Table 5.10). They were also more likely than managed and street-based workers to report moving place of work because they could earn more, they felt it would be a safer environment and they would attract more and better clients. This was further explored in qualitative interviews:

I worked at, I worked at one parlour in the town, city here for 6 weeks. But it cost me money to work there, being a large lady, so um the clientele wasn’t basically for me…Um so I left there. I went back to just doing private work again.

Liz, Private and Managed, Female, Auckland

Yeah, I mean private at least is a lot better because um you don’t feel like you’re, you’ve got a boss keeping tabs on you.

Philippa, Private, Female, Auckland

But here my favourite will have had to have been working from home, that’s the truth…Totally private…Discrete, you know, and all that. No threat of the Police…I hate being answerable to other people.

Paul, Private, Male, Auckland

Participants who moved from the managed sector to the street sector described the positive features of their choice, including the ability to choose one’s clients, when to work, to not have to pay fees to managers and to be paid in cash.

Um well if we had to talk about parlours, um the fact that you actually have to pay someone first, like you’ve got a boss, is not good. To me that’s not good, because it’s you that’s doing the job, not them. You’re paying for a room, that basically you shouldn’t have to. And the fact that clients have to pay a door fee even before they walk in, and especially if like the client decides that he just wants a massage and nothing else, you basically still have to pay for the room that you’ve used, yet you’ve got no money out of it…So I mean it’s taking money away from you, and I think that’s just unfair…Um privately, you can’t call the shots. You can basically give your details to the client over the phone, but you don’t know who you’re going to get at the door. That’s the problem. At least on the street you can virtually see the person. They’re there in person, you can see if they’re on something or, you know, if they’re hesitant or they look suspicious, then, yeah. So that’s like the big difference between those.

Terri, Street, Transgender, Christchurch

Um well the last parlour I worked at… it was competition. I mean I was on, you know, I’d do the 4 to 12 shift and then the 12 to 8. Um too many girls, I mean I could say that there’s lots of girls out here, but I mean at least out here you know if a car pulls up, you know it’s a cash job. Whereas, up there you can do a massage and it’s not cash.

Janine, Street, Female, Christchurch

Well in parlours you’re a lot safer. Um yeah, but with working in parlours I find that, you know, I mean it’s not as good a money, cause they take fees off you, as well as plus you’ve got your clothing, your belongs, all that risk of being stolen from the other girls. And also you have to get along with a group of girls, which you might not like in particular. And with the street you can go out there, you can make a quick couple of hundred or whatever, and you can go home. Like I just go out to my corner, do my work, don’t really bother with many of the girls, unless they’re ones I’ve known for years, and then go home. And I don’t have to get along with people, or worry about – well I do have to worry about being ripped off, but not just from the girls, you know.

Sally, Street, Female, Christchurch

Participants who had worked exclusively in the managed sector described this sector to be safer and better organised.

to me private, street, just doesn’t appeal to me, um because of the whole security safety issues. Um you know, I like being in a parlour because it is safe. Um yeah, sure, you don’t make as much, they take a big cut, but that’s the price you pay, you know, for your health and life, yeah.

Virginia, Managed, Female, Auckland

Half of the participants in the survey indicated that they had taken a break from the industry at least once since the start of sex work (see Table 5.11). Private workers were more likely to report having had a break than street-based or managed workers. The majority of participants who reported having a break, either stopped for a short time of between one and six months or tended to have a break for longer than two years (see Table 5.12).

Table 5.12 Length of break from sex work taken by workers who reported a break in each sector†

The most frequent reason survey participants gave for taking a break was because of a new relationship, where participants either did not want the partner to know that they worked, or where their partner did not want them to work any longer. Another commonly articulated reason was because of children, either because of pregnancy or because of wanting to take time off to raise children. Street-based workers were especially likely to give this reason, with around a quarter of street-based workers who had had a break reporting this. The other most often cited reasons were because they wanted, or had received, employment in a straight job or because of holiday or travel, especially for private and managed workers, but less so for street-based workers.

In in-depth interviews, participants discussed burn-out and simply being tired of the job as reasons for taking a break:

Um I stopped working because I just, I reached that time when, "Agh, I don’t want to do this any more. I’d rather clean. And I’ll generate the extra by cleaning and I’ll do some studying." And I felt it probably had a bit of a conflict of interest with what I, where I was working as well at the time. Um I’m a social worker, and you know, I was a sex worker and I was doing another job as well working with um single parents, and I felt, "Yeah, I’m not doing this. It’s probably not really, you know, that sort of moral or ethical that I’m doing this. So okay, no sex work."

Pat, Managed, Female, Christchurch

Well let’s put it like this, you have to have a break, because when you’re looking at it, your work and sex work, if you start 24/7 you’re just going to run yourself ragged. That’s when the trouble starts. You want more of this, more of that, and let me tell you this, I know 'cause I’ve been there. I’ve always wanted things.

Tania, Street, Transgender, Christchurch

I just think I can only handle so much at a time, and it just gets too much every now and then, and just, yeah, I have to have a break.

Virginia, Managed, Female, Auckland

Um yeah, I did have breaks because I got bored with the sex industry, um bored with hearing everyone’s same sad stories after a few years, and just wanted to do something totally different. So I went back to nursing.

Becky, Managed, Female, Auckland

By far the most commonly reported reason for returning to the industry after a break was for economic reasons. Sixty-seven percent of all survey participants who had been on a break returned because they needed the money. Half of the survey participants reported that the money was the thing they missed most when not working, with another one fifth reporting the loss of camaraderie or the company of their fellow workers as a key factor. Private workers were less likely (11%) than street-based (24%) or managed workers (25%) to report the latter. Street-based workers (14%) and private workers (22%) were more likely than managed workers (7%) to report not missing anything while they were on a break. The in-depth interview data supported these findings:

Like we had the best of everything. Money just never, we didn’t think about money, and for the last 7 months that’s all I’ve been thinking about is that money. It’s like I haven’t had that money at all. And then like when it comes really hard and when we have arguments and fight with me and my partner, well the guy that was now my partner, I’m like off to the (inaudible) off to the road to work.

Sally, Street, Female, Christchurch

Many described taking time out of sex work due to being in committed relationships or when they were pregnant and had children. Participants who had child care commitments also described re-entering sex work for time out from home and the importance of their workplace friendships.

The reason why I keep coming back, oh 6 months is, yeah, just giving me the 6 months with my children and things like that. But the reason why I’ve come back is because at home it’s just me and my two children, and being up here, you’re around other females that are in the industry. You know what they’re going through, they know what you’re going through. You know, it’s just like a big family up here, and I love being around adults. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids too, but I love being around adults as well.

Hilda, Managed, Female, Napier

Some participants were keen to express that they choose to have breaks and re-enter the industry:

Oh get off grass. Look, you make a choice. Um okay, some will say, oh it’s – I will say one thing, it’s an easy game to get into, it’s a hard game to get out of, and that’s true. For a lot of people that is a hard thing to get out of. The money draws them back and draws them back. Um some it draws back for the sex, some it draws back for the excitement of it. But you know, you know yourself, there’s other ways out. There’s always another choice. You don’t have to go back in the business, and if you find yourself in a situation where you’re not comfortable, get out, get help. There’s only a phone call away and there’s a lot of people out there that can help you.

Josie, Private, Female, Napier

About 6 months to 12 months, um and I’ve also had breaks when I’ve had my children…Um I think mainly the reasons I’ve got back into it is drugs.

Janine, Street, Female, Christchurch

um during this 5-year patch, 3 years prior to that um I was in an 8-year relationship and that fell apart, and I lost my children. I started drinking and then I, once I lost my children and my house, everything, I started using drugs again. That’s what’s brought me back out to the street after 5 years of being away.

Sally, Street, Female, Christchurch

Transgender sex workers discussed the difficulties they faced finding employment other than sex work, some refusing to go on a government benefit.

Mmm, yeah, many a times, but, yeah, I keep coming back. I mean cause I’ve got no – I mean, I mean cause there’s no other income for me. I mean I don’t get a benefit…I could go on a benefit, but I mean I’m just being stubborn. I mean I refuse to, yeah, and mmm. Yeah.

Ellen, Street, Transgender, Auckland

Oh I wish I could have. If I could find a really good job, I would leave in a second, that wouldn’t, like I said, discriminate me for what I am and be acceptive of like I am an employee, I’m not a trans-gendered person who they have to keep looking at funny. Yeah, I’m there to do the work. I will do the work and respect what’s been given to me or been told to me. But don’t just keep looking at me as like, "Oh she’s a trans-gender," you know…I’ve been in so many jobs and you just hear it, you know. Um (.) and it’s just like I’m there just to work, you know, pay my bills and leave. I’m not there to basically put what I am on show or display for everybody, so yeah.

Terri, Street, Transgender, Christchurch

Um some of the reasons, because I’m in relationships, um or I try to start a new life. I try and get a job and try and get off the street, but you know, it’s, for a trans-gender person, it’s hard to a) get a job, and b) be accepted into society for who you are, because you’re always going to be discriminated for both those things.

Terri, Street, Transgender, Christchurch

Money was the factor that was cited by most survey and in-depth interview participants as making it difficult to leave the industry. The availability of readily available money was something that 68% of survey participants reported would make staying away from the industry a challenge. They discussed ways of making it easier to leave, which included the availability of good, well paid jobs, with a higher minimum wage and equal opportunities. Thirty-four percent of participants reported that this would make leaving the sex industry easier with a further 17% citing the need for financial security or a win in the lottery.

O’Neill documents a variety of reasons for entry into the sex industry . She highlights factors such as emotional neediness, homelessness, poverty, history of abuse, peer pressure, peer association and residential care experience as some of the many reasons precipitating the choice to enter the industry. Weldon (2006) argues that researchers often focus on the psychology of why people enter the sex industry, wanting to engage with sex workers on their childhood, upbringing and living circumstances. She contends that doing something undesirable for money or compensation is often seen as deviant "when in fact that element is about the most normal thing about the decision to enter the industry" .

"… a sex worker can apply for a job in one day, work that night, and make enough money to pay a bill the next day. There is no substitute for this in our society, and until we acknowledge the unique economic need sex work fulfils, and acknowledge money as a motivation for working in the sex industry, there can be no useful approach to solve any of the problems in and around the sex industry"

(p.14).

Economics does play a key role in entry to the sex industry and the use sex workers make of their money is explanatory in their entry and continuation of sex work . O’Neill and others maintain that many enter the industry in response to poverty, which highlights the need to be aware of changes in society, such as the unemployment benefit, employment rates, taxes and economic recession, which increase the likelihood of people entering the sex industry . Financial influences were the key motivational factors in the entry into the sex industry for participants in this study. Household expenses were the most often reported use of money earned from sex work. This was also the main use of money on entry into sex work reported in the 1999 survey of Christchurch female sex workers . The female participants in the 2006 study were more likely than the male and transgender participants to report financial incentives as the main reason for entering the industry and were less likely to report identity and social factors. The most important financial incentive for female workers was to pay for household expenses, but also they were more likely than male and transgender workers to report needing the money to support children or family.

The majority of participants in the sex industry are women, and women are more likely to be in part-time work and low status, low earning positions . The rise in single parent families has placed women at an economic disadvantage. In Britain in the 1990s, it was argued that the increasing feminisation of poverty was brought about by economic, employment and welfare policies, "and the failure of social policies to fundamentally address the needs of the single female head of household" p.4. Many participants in this study highlighted the need for straight jobs with a higher minimum wage and equal opportunities. Greater flexibility in working hours for women with children was also an attraction for working in the sex industry and this flexibility is not common in other forms of employment.

Transgender workers sometimes have few options for careers outside of the sex industry because of discrimination against the way they dress and act . Heather Worth’s (2000) study of transgender workers on Karangahape Road (K Road) in Auckland, New Zealand, revealed that there were strong economic reasons for transgender people to enter the sex industry. Participants in that study argued that they would rather be doing other work, but they were unable to get other employment and they could not survive on the unemployment benefit. All were from socio-economically disadvantaged homes and had left school and home at an early age, often precipitated by the way they were treated because of their gender identity.

This study found that financial influences were important for transgender participants’ entry into sex work, but in addition, over half of transgender participants entered the industry because they were curious about the industry, they thought that it looked exciting and glamorous, that sex workers looked like they were fun to be with and also over half had friends in the industry. The qualitative interviews revealed that, as Worth (2000) had found, the non-acceptance in society of transgender people creates a situation where they find acceptance and a family-like atmosphere in street-based work.

Young people in sex work are an especially vulnerable group. Many young people do not identify as sex workers but do exchange sex for money, drugs, accommodation or other ‘favours’ . Some young people are disengaged from their family and receive no financial support from their parents and are unable to get government assistance in the form of a benefit as they are under the age of 18 years. For many, starting work in the sex industry is a survival choice. Some of the young street-based workers in this study reported that on entering the industry, they did not have information on what to charge and would often trade sex for some needed commodity. Similar to transgender sex workers, young sex workers found a sense of belonging and family in working with friends on the street.

Exiting the industry has been described as a process, which often involves numerous exit/re-entry cycles . Many of the participants in both the survey and qualitative interviews in this study had left the industry for a period of time and returned. As other researchers have found, the majority of participants returned to the sex industry because of economic necessity, but a number of participants missed the intrinsic feeling of belonging that they got from working in the industry.

It is important to note that not all experiences in sex work are bad and that exiting the industry also means losing some of the perceived benefits gained from the work. Few participants in this study and the previous 1999 study of Christchurch sex workers reported no benefit accrued from sex work. Both of these studies found that money was the key benefit cited by participants. However, more than 80% of participants in all sectors reported making new friends as a benefit of working in the industry. Other studies have also noted the sense of belonging and feeling of camaraderie some workers experienced from working in the sex industry and the loss of this when exiting the industry can be detrimental to staying exited . As many of the participants in this study discussed, the stigmatisation that they experienced, either because of their gender identity, or because of being a sex worker, placed them in a position of being an outsider in society. The acceptance, camaraderie and family-like atmosphere that they found in the sex industry, was seen as an attraction of working in the industry. Social support is an important determinant of health. Sanders identified that ‘indoor’ sex work attracts "high-trusting relationships" (p.110) characterised by much social support between workers . On the other hand, she argued that "pimps, drug use and sporadic customers" engender "low-trusting relationships" among street-based workers. This was not evident from the findings of this study, where street-based workers were just as likely as managed and private workers to report friendships and enjoying the contact and sex with clients. These perceived gains may make exiting the industry problematic.

73% of participants needed money to pay for household expenses

Financial incentives were more important to female sex workers than to male or transgender sex workers

Nearly half of street-based, male and transgender sex workers had no other source of income

Flexibility of working hours and financial benefits were advantageous in terms of child care arrangements

More than half of street-based and transgender sex workers had friends in the industry prior to starting work in the sex industry

Many participants were influenced by friends and family into entering the sex industry

Many street-based and transgender sex workers thought sex workers looked like they were fun to be with and that the work looked exciting and glamorous

Sex work was also identified by male and transgender sex workers as a way of exploring their sexuality

82% of survey participants remained in the industry to pay their household expenses

They had more money

They had made new friends

They had survived

They enjoyed contact with the clients

They valued their independence, the flexibility of the work and the camaraderie with other workers

The continuing stigma of sex work and harassment by the general public

Many participants talked of the physical and mental stress of the work

Transgender sex workers had difficulty finding other forms of employment because of discrimination

	Years of working in sex industry
	Total N=759 % (s.e.)	<1 year N=76 % (s.e.)	>1 year N=683 % (s.e.)	Comparison across years of work
Expected length of stay in sex industry: <1 year 1-2 years 3-5 years >5 years Don’t know	20.9 (1.7) 21.7 (1.8) 12.7 (1.5) 15.0 (1.5) 29.7 (1.9)	48.4 (6.8) 15.2 (5.1) 13.1 (5.4) 2.4 (1.9) 20.9 (4.7)	17.8 (1.7) 22.5 (1.9) 12.6 (1.6) 16.4 (1.7) 30.7 (2.0)	χ² =98.0 df=4 p<0.0001
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	χ² =98.0 df=4 p<0.0001

	Total % (s.e.)	Street Workers % (s.e.)	Managed Indoor % (s.e.)	Private Indoor % (s.e.)	Comparison across sectors (df=2)
					χ²	P
I’m still working in the same place I started in (N=685)	45.1 (2.2)	70.1 (4.2)	47.6 (2.9)	29.0 (4.4)	112.3	<0.0001
Reasons for movement for participants who reported that they were no longer in their original place of work:
Thought I could earn more in a new place (N=364) More control over work practices and/or choice of client in new place (N=369) Safer environment in new place (N=361) More or better clients in new place (N=362) Friends in new place (N=367) Invited to work elsewhere (N=361)	49.8 (3.1) 67.2 (2.8) 53.5 (3.1) 54.2 (3.1) 35.6 (2.8) 24.6 (2.5)	46.9 (9.1) 78.8 (6.1) 44.5 (8.7) 52.4 (8.7) 47.7 (8.7) 35.0 (8.1)	44.6 (3.8) 52.2 (3.9) 48.4 (3.9) 48.8 (3.8) 40.8 (3.8) 28.3 (3.5)	56.7 (5.4) 82.8 (4.1) 61.1 (5.4) 61.1 (5.3) 27.0 (4.6) 18.2 (3.8)	15.1 117.8 17.4 15.7 27.2 20.3	0.0005 <0.0001 0.0002 0.0004 <0.0001 <0.0001

	Stopped working at least once since start of sex work		Comparison across sectors
	N	% (s.e.)
Street Workers (N=201) Managed Workers (N=368) Private Workers (N=189)	87 182 119	45.4 (4.1) 48.1 (2.7) 59.3 (4.4)	χ² =23.7 df=2 p<0.0001
Total (N=758)	388	51.4 (2.1)

5. Entry into sex work, movement between sectors and exit from the industry