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Surviving While Female in Barbados: An Examination of Entry Factors into Sex Work

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Abstract

This phenomenological, grounded theory study, with a sample of 30 cisgender women engaged in sex work in Barbados, examines entry into transactional sex work. Conditions of chronic childhood poverty were found to precipitate family instability and childhood sexual abuse, which lead to early entry into sexual relationships with older men and low educational attainment. A context in which a highly gendered labor market severely disadvantages women with limited education, and where it is normative for adolescent girls to engage in sexual relationships with older men to meet economic needs, leaves sex work as one of few accessible and reliable employment options. These findings further theoretical understanding of entry into sex work.

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Notes

  1. Bedding refers to burlap or cloth placed over mattresses made of grass or old clothing used by impoverished persons in Barbados.

  2. Lamp refers to oil lamps indicating that the home lacked electricity, another indicator of poverty in Barbados.

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Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to the women who participated in this study, as well as to Jabez House, The Barbados Family Planning Association, and The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus for their invaluable assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Adelphi University, One South Ave., Box 701, Garden City, NY, 11530, USA

    Stavroula Kyriakakis

  2. Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada

    Sadie K. Goddard-Durant

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  1. Stavroula Kyriakakis
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  2. Sadie K. Goddard-Durant
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Correspondence to Stavroula Kyriakakis.

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Kyriakakis, S., Goddard-Durant, S.K. Surviving While Female in Barbados: An Examination of Entry Factors into Sex Work. Sexuality & Culture 26, 951–973 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09926-6

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