London, March 27
A study conducted by
Britain's University of Swansea reveals that more than a fifth of
students have thought about being involved in the sex industry.
The
study says nearly 5 percent (one in 20 students) of them had actually
worked in the sex industry and male students were more likely to become
involved than women, Asian Lite newspaper reported citing the study.
The
work in the sex industry ranged from stripping, phone sex chat, erotic
dancing to prostitution. It included escort work but also work which did
not involve direct contact such as webcam work and glamour modelling.
The
Student Sex Work Project was carried out by Swansea University's Centre
for Criminal Justice and Criminology and funded by the Big Lottery
Fund. About 6,750 students from across Britain took part in an online
study by Swansea University in Wales.
Lack of money is the
biggest factor driving students into sex work as they struggle to cope
with 9,000 pounds-a-year tuition fees. Most of the graduates will clock
up around 50,000 pounds debt while completing their studies.
Nearly two-thirds were motivated to earn money to fund a lifestyle, but 45 percent wanted to avoid debt, the study reveals.
Fifty
nine percent thought they would enjoy the work, 54 percent were
"curious", 45 percent wanted to work in the industry and 44 percent were
motivated by sexual pleasure. Of those who had worked, more than half
was for less than six months, or for less than five hours a week.
Some
76 percent of students engaged in the sex industry reported that they
felt safe in their work "always" or "very often" but 49 percent involved
in direct sex work had a fear of violence.
Tracey Sagar, who
co-led the study, told Asian Lite that stereotyping was a problem and
the discovery that more men were involved in the sex industry than was
commonly thought was "significant finding".
"Sex work is widely
but wrongly perceived to be an occupation that is predominantly taken up
by women and this means that males may fall through the student support
net because they are not associated with sex work occupations," she
said.
"We now have firm evidence that students are engaged in the sex industry across the UK,†Sagar said.
"The
majority of these students keep their occupations secret and this is
because of social stigma and fears of being judged by family and
friends. And, we have to keep in mind that not all students engaged in
the industry are safe or feel safe."
She said it was vital universities better understood student sex work issues.
The study was carried out online. The research started in Wales and nearly half of those who took part were at Welsh colleges.
The
project carried out extensive research and also provided e-health
services and support for students who are engaged in the sex industry.
Furthermore
the project provided sexual health information to the broader student
population. This innovative project has made an important contribution
to advancing knowledge and understanding of student sex work in Wales
and across Britain while providing vital support and information for
students at the same time.
The service provision element of the
project included online sexual health information, an online forum for
student sex worker project members, net-reach support as well as
one-to-one counselling for project members who are engaged in
occupations in the sex industry.
(Anasudhin Azeez can be contacted at md@asianlite.com)
