Students in the Sex Industry: Motivations, Feelings, Risks, and Judgments
Student sex work is a current phenomenon all over the world, increasingly reported by the media in recent years. However, student sex work remains under-researched in Germany and is lacking direct first-hand reports from the people involved. Further, sex work remains stigmatized, and therefore, stud...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.586235/full |
| _version_ | 1819278910082252800 |
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| author | Felicitas Ernst Nina Romanczuk-Seiferth Stephan Köhler Till Amelung Till Amelung Felix Betzler |
| author_facet | Felicitas Ernst Nina Romanczuk-Seiferth Stephan Köhler Till Amelung Till Amelung Felix Betzler |
| author_sort | Felicitas Ernst |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Student sex work is a current phenomenon all over the world, increasingly reported by the media in recent years. However, student sex work remains under-researched in Germany and is lacking direct first-hand reports from the people involved. Further, sex work remains stigmatized, and therefore, students practicing it could be at risk of social isolation and emotional or physical danger. Therefore, this study examines students working in the sex industry focusing on their personal experiences and attitudes toward them. An online questionnaire was completed by 4386 students from Berlin universities. Students who identified themselves as sex workers (n = 227) were questioned with respect to their motivations to enter the sex industry, characteristics of their job, feelings after the intercourse, and perceived risks. Student non-sex workers (n = 2998) were questioned regarding knowledge of and attitudes toward student sex workers. Most student sex workers reported that they entered the sex industry due to financial reasons (35.7%). The majority reported offering services involving direct sexual intercourse. Disclosing their job to friends, family, or others was associated with less problems with social isolation and in romantic relationships. With a total of 22.9%, student non-sex workers reported never having heard about students working in the sex industry. The most frequent emotions mentioned by them with regard to student sex workers were compassion and dismay (48.9%). There was no difference in happiness between student sex workers and non-sex working students. Through this research, it becomes evident that there are similarities between the student’s motivations to enter the sex industry, their feelings, and the problems they have to face. Moreover, prejudices still prevail about the life of student sex workers. Increasing understanding of student sex work might help those sex workers to live a less stigmatized life and thereby to make use of support from others. The universities as institutions could form the basis for this, e.g., by openly supporting student sex workers. This could help to encourage the rights of student sex workers and to gain perspective with respect to the sex industry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T00:19:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-06d459407a914875b64ef78e6b18f7cb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T00:19:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-06d459407a914875b64ef78e6b18f7cb2022-12-21T17:24:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-02-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.586235586235Students in the Sex Industry: Motivations, Feelings, Risks, and JudgmentsFelicitas Ernst0Nina Romanczuk-Seiferth1Stephan Köhler2Till Amelung3Till Amelung4Felix Betzler5Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie (CCM), Berlin, GermanyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie (CCM), Berlin, GermanyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie (CCM), Berlin, GermanyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie (CCM), Berlin, GermanyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine, Berlin, GermanyCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie (CCM), Berlin, GermanyStudent sex work is a current phenomenon all over the world, increasingly reported by the media in recent years. However, student sex work remains under-researched in Germany and is lacking direct first-hand reports from the people involved. Further, sex work remains stigmatized, and therefore, students practicing it could be at risk of social isolation and emotional or physical danger. Therefore, this study examines students working in the sex industry focusing on their personal experiences and attitudes toward them. An online questionnaire was completed by 4386 students from Berlin universities. Students who identified themselves as sex workers (n = 227) were questioned with respect to their motivations to enter the sex industry, characteristics of their job, feelings after the intercourse, and perceived risks. Student non-sex workers (n = 2998) were questioned regarding knowledge of and attitudes toward student sex workers. Most student sex workers reported that they entered the sex industry due to financial reasons (35.7%). The majority reported offering services involving direct sexual intercourse. Disclosing their job to friends, family, or others was associated with less problems with social isolation and in romantic relationships. With a total of 22.9%, student non-sex workers reported never having heard about students working in the sex industry. The most frequent emotions mentioned by them with regard to student sex workers were compassion and dismay (48.9%). There was no difference in happiness between student sex workers and non-sex working students. Through this research, it becomes evident that there are similarities between the student’s motivations to enter the sex industry, their feelings, and the problems they have to face. Moreover, prejudices still prevail about the life of student sex workers. Increasing understanding of student sex work might help those sex workers to live a less stigmatized life and thereby to make use of support from others. The universities as institutions could form the basis for this, e.g., by openly supporting student sex workers. This could help to encourage the rights of student sex workers and to gain perspective with respect to the sex industry.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.586235/fullsex workstudentsstigmamotivationsfeelingsprostitution |
| spellingShingle | Felicitas Ernst Nina Romanczuk-Seiferth Stephan Köhler Till Amelung Till Amelung Felix Betzler Students in the Sex Industry: Motivations, Feelings, Risks, and Judgments Frontiers in Psychology sex work students stigma motivations feelings prostitution |
| title | Students in the Sex Industry: Motivations, Feelings, Risks, and Judgments |
| title_full | Students in the Sex Industry: Motivations, Feelings, Risks, and Judgments |
| title_fullStr | Students in the Sex Industry: Motivations, Feelings, Risks, and Judgments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Students in the Sex Industry: Motivations, Feelings, Risks, and Judgments |
| title_short | Students in the Sex Industry: Motivations, Feelings, Risks, and Judgments |
| title_sort | students in the sex industry motivations feelings risks and judgments |
| topic | sex work students stigma motivations feelings prostitution |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.586235/full |
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