413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

espondent explained that her dependence on sex work was not only for money, but even basic
necessities, such as food and clothing for her children, highlighting how difficult it is for some sex workers
to stay away from a dependable source of income, even if they have been absent for some time. Other
respondents returned to sex work because they needed to support their drug purchases or found it
difficult to refuse regular clients since it was steady and reliable income.
Why They Leave
The reasons for leaving sex work were more varied than the reasons for staying, with sex workers citing
age, value, life events, health, and exit programs and services as factors that prompted their exit. A few
older, experienced sex workers cited “getting old” (J10) or needing to “get out of this game” (L1) as
reasons why the dangerous business was no longer appealing. Other sex workers mentioned how the sex
trade was no longer “worth it” as prices decreased and clients changed for the worse (J4). The danger and
risks of sex work as a reason for exiting the trade also manifested itself in terms of ill health, with one
respondent explaining that HIV infection ultimately caused her to leave (L6).
Other sex workers left the sex trade for less negative reasons. Important life events, such as having a child,
losing a family member, or committing to a relationship, were also important reasons to stop trading sex.
One respondent exited sex work when she had her second daughter while another left sex work when her
boyfriend requested that she exit. Another sex worker cited her mother’s death and wanting to honor her
late mother’s wishes as her reason for finally exiting sex work.
Programing and services designed to help sex workers achieve alternate and legal career options also
served as an important catalyst for exiting sex work. One respondent described her program very
positively, explaining:
Working here, I’m able to be me. I've been doing trainings, testing, counseling, so I'm
doing it less and less. I've been here at [Program] for 1.5 here. It’s the best thing that’s
happened to me to be here in [Program] because I'm facilitating my own groups here at
[Program] now. (L5)
Another respondent described her program as a “lifesaver” (M1), illustrating the positivity of these
prostitution exit programs and services.
Pimp Involvement in the Sex Trade
While the presence of pimps still exists, many sex workers expressed how the perceptions of pimps and
using pimps to facilitate their work has now changed. One respondent described how the presence of
pimps had become ubiquitous and that clients were no longer afraid of sex workers with pimps for that
reason (J6). Another respondent explained how pimps were no longer intimidating in how they dressed,
the material wealth they displayed, and their level of success as a pimp: “Things have changed drastically
from the times of the flashy pimps to the tennis shoe pimps” (M5).
The sex workers in this sample tended to work independently instead of working with pimps. No
respondent who worked in the sex trade in the 1980s worked with pimps regularly—the only sex workers
who did regularly work with pimps had worked in the 1990s and 2000s. Respondents provided several
reasons for choosing to work independently, with the most common ones being the lack of necessity for a
pimp and fear of pimps’ abuse, control, and rules. One respondent explained that she stopped working for
a pimp once her pimp “put a hand on [her]” (J10), while another respondent described the type of
extensive rules and intimidation she witnessed pimps using on sex workers:
They’ll snatch you up and put you in the trunk if you don’t watch yourself. They’d watch
you, they’d pay attention to what's going on with you, might get at you a little. They get
more aggressive the more they see you … they got rules … Don’t make eye contact. (K2)
Pimps inflicting abuse on and control over sex workers served as a large reason why many sex workers did
not want to work with pimps, especially since a pimp could potentially try to control the amount of hours
the women worked and how much they paid. One respondent described working independently as “it’s all
about how you feel, what's your goal for the day” (J2) when it came to earning a certain amount of money,
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