Pathways through sex work: Childhood experiences and adult identities

Abstract

Drawing on a qualitative study exploring the stories of twenty-four women involved in sex work in the UK, this paper discusses whether it is possible to identify key risk and protective factors influencing involvement. It argues that, although age at first involvement is an important factor in influencing outcome, so also are experiences of childhood and adult adversity. Early damaging experiences, which may increase the likelihood of involvement, also affect the ability to deal with the experience of sex work and simultaneously 'manage' other life experiences. What is crucial in identifying who is likely to be the most vulnerable are the accumulation of risk factors in early childhood and the personal and ecological resources available to individuals across the lifespan to manage that pathway. How these factors are managed determines the degree of victimhood or agency, vulnerability or resilience individuals perceive they have and the route taken through sex work as a consequence. The study identified three different groups of women who reported different pathways, reflecting different sources of support and coping strategies. This analysis suggests that there is a need to facilitate the provision of 'secure base' interventions for women involved in sex work, whatever their age, which have meaning for them. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved.