Abstract
How stigma is negotiated by female university students working in the sex industry remains under-researched and is limited to the context of erotic dancing. This article combines data collected in the UK and Australia with a total of 14 student sex workers and expands the scope by including individuals working in legal brothels, as independent escorts, webcammers and erotic dancers. Findings reveal that the use of the internet offered some women protection from discrimination, while at the same time exposing others to ‘new’ and intensified forms of stigma; which required alternative strategies to negate the negative effects. Despite the diverse nature of the sex industry, regardless of the sector, women in both countries were similar in their approach to sex work and their response to stigma. Given their relatively ‘respectable’ social standing, students were able to claim ‘respectability’ not available to all. Some women also shared an increased capacity to live openly as sex workers while simultaneously considering their engagement in the industry to be temporary. Rather than living a double life, respondents aspired to a singular, authentic selfhood. Close relationships were built with co-workers and many women felt a strong sense of rootedness within sex-worker communities, with sex work becoming an important part of their identity.
Highlights
This article combines two sets of empirical data collected in the UK and Australia
While there has been no research on the total number of student sex workers in Australia, estimates suggest between 10% and 40% of sex workers in legal brothels in Victoria, Australia are students (Groves et al, 2008; Maher et al, 2012; Pickering et al, 2009; Reilly, 2008)
The findings suggest that students are a unique demographic of sex workers as they are able to draw upon their positive, alternative and salient identity as students which neutralises the negative effects of stigma
Summary
This article combines two sets of empirical data collected in the UK and Australia. Both studies explore how female university students, who do sex work, negotiate stigma. Previous research on the topic is limited to the USA and to students working as erotic dancers (Haeger and Deli-Amen, 2010; Trautner and Collett, 2010). This article expands current scholarship by providing a cross-national comparative analysis of university students in two different socio-cultural contexts and geographical locations (UK and Australia) and widens the focus to include students working in legal brothels, as independent escorts, erotic dancers and webcam models
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
