Keywords
Trabajo sexual, Mercado laboral, Migrantes, Elección ocupacional, Movilidades, Sex work, Labor market, Migrants, Occupational choice, Mobilities
Labour Trajectories and Working Conditions of Sex Workers in Spain
Abstract
Este estudio examina las trayectorias laborales y las condiciones de trabajo de las personas que ejercen trabajo sexual en España. A partir de una encuesta a 210 participantes, principalmente mujeres y mujeres trans con experiencia previa en el mercado laboral formal, analiza las motivaciones para incorporarse a la industria sexual, la valoración comparativa de las condiciones laborales y el papel de las desigualdades estructurales. Los empleos anteriores se caracterizaban con frecuencia por bajos salarios, contratación informal, discriminación de género, acoso y violencia. En comparación, el trabajo sexual se asociaba a mayores ingresos, autonomía, flexibilidad y capacidad de decisión, aunque persistían el estigma y la precariedad jurídica. El 87 % manifestó disposición a darse de alta en la Seguridad Social si la legislación lo permitiera. El estudio propone políticas basadas en derechos que reconozcan el trabajo sexual como actividad laboral legítima.
This study examines the labor trajectories and working conditions of sex workers in Spain. Drawing on survey data from 210 participants—primarily women and trans women with prior experience in the formal labor market—the research explores motivations for entering the sex industry, the comparative evaluation of working conditions, and the role of structural inequalities. Findings reveal that participants’ previous employment was often marked by low wages, informal contracts, gender discrimination, and exposure to harassment and violence. In contrast, sex work was frequently described as providing greater income, autonomy, flexibility, and personal agency, despite persistent stigma and legal precariousness. Notably, 87 percent of respondents expressed willingness to formalize their occupation through social security registration if permitted by law. The findings challenge dominant narratives of victimhood, foregrounding the strategic dimension of occupational choice under structural constraint, and advocate for rights-based policy frameworks that recognize sex work as legitimate labor.
This study examines the labor trajectories and working conditions of sex workers in Spain. Drawing on survey data from 210 participants—primarily women and trans women with prior experience in the formal labor market—the research explores motivations for entering the sex industry, the comparative evaluation of working conditions, and the role of structural inequalities. Findings reveal that participants’ previous employment was often marked by low wages, informal contracts, gender discrimination, and exposure to harassment and violence. In contrast, sex work was frequently described as providing greater income, autonomy, flexibility, and personal agency, despite persistent stigma and legal precariousness. Notably, 87 percent of respondents expressed willingness to formalize their occupation through social security registration if permitted by law. The findings challenge dominant narratives of victimhood, foregrounding the strategic dimension of occupational choice under structural constraint, and advocate for rights-based policy frameworks that recognize sex work as legitimate labor.
Información detallada
Materias, derechos, colecciones e identificadores