In Our Own Voices: The Lived Experience of Sex Workers in Philadelphia who Identify as Women.

Abstract

Hermeneutic phenomenology and Harding's feminist theory guided the qualitative portion of this mixed-methods study that also included a quantitative health needs assessment. Private interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of sex workers recruited from a drop-in support center for cis- and transgender individuals identifying as women. Issues of homelessness, food insecurity, and personal safety were among the women's top health-related concerns (n=29). Seven themes emerged from qualitative data after transcripts were reviewed, reflected upon, and validated with a focus group at the center. Extraordinary emphasis was given to the theme, "I am a person." This study helps to illuminate the lived experience and health risks of being a woman-identified sex worker in Philadelphia.