Sex Workers' Lifestyle Sex Workers' Lifestyle_Final (1) | Page 41

The vast majority of sex workers are unemployed, i.e. 70%, some of them are
illegally employed, i.e. 20%, and only one of them has a regular employment
status, i.e. 10% (see Annex 2).
In terms of their marital status, 70% of them are single, followed by individual
cases which include one being married, one partnered and one widowed
(see Annex 2).
Out of the total number of sex workers who have been interviewed, 60%
of them live alone, 20% live with their family and the other 20% live with
relatives.
Only one of the sex workers is a parent of more than 3 children, 20% are
parents of one or two children, and the rest, i.e. 70% are childless.
The majority of sex workers do have healthcare insurance, i.e. 70%, however,
the rest of the interviewed group, i.e. 30%, are still unable to regulate it for a
variety of reasons.
5.2 Lifestyle
The majority of interviewed sex workers first got engaged in sex work
between the ages of 16 and 18, with the exception of two cases, i.e. one
who began at the age of 12, and the other at the age of 36.
All sex workers interviewed for the purposes of this research declared
that they have begun doing sex work voluntarily and consciously. In one
individual case, it is stated that:
L: “In the beginning I wasn’t aware that I was offering sexual services for material
goods, for money, in exchange for something; it was all unconscious until I turned
19, when I realized what I was doing, and I accepted it as it is.”
Transgender sex worker
There are different reasons why each sex worker started doing sex work. The
lack of finances seems to be the prevailing factor, which was stated by the
majority of our interviewees.
Lj: “Lack of money. Financially. We had no income and sex work was my last
resort. Fast and easy money I could say. I had a child, and you know how it is with
a child – diapers, milk and we couldn’t provide all the necessities, so that’s how
my story as a sex worker begins.” Female sex worker
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