While recent studies have attempted to prove that sex with a condom is just as pleasurable as without, sex workers aren’t feeling the sexual health benefits of this revelation. According to Canadian research, published in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, there’s a rising HIV epidemic among female sex workers, due to clients paying extra for unprotected sex.
The results of the study revealed that roughly three-quarters were offered more money for sex without a condom and that 19% accepted this money. The Vancouver researchers also found that transgender women, women who experienced client violence and users of methamphetamine were more likely to put their wellbeing at risk by accepting extra money for unsafe sex. The study authors wrote, ‘Our study confirms the high demand by clients for unprotected sex among SWs [sex workers] in an urban Canadian setting. These findings are consistent with other studies, which have suggested that clients looking for unprotected sex may seek out SWs who are particularly vulnerable to coercion.’
Evidence suggests that poverty, unstable housing, violence and policing policies have a significant impact on the ability of sex workers to use condoms, and clients may also have an important role in determining the use of condoms. Therefore, the researchers recruited 490 female sex workers, offering comprehensive HIV and STI testing and counselling. The sex workers completed questionnaires which included sections relating to their social and economic background, sex working patterns, experience of violence and use of recreational drugs.
Of the women involved in the study, 54% reported soliciting for clients independently (e.g. through online advertising), while 26% solicited in indoor sex environments such as brothels, and 71% sought clients outdoor environments, like on the streets. According to the researchers, this shows ‘the substantial overlap in terms of sex work solicitation environments’. 73% of the women surveyed (356) had been offered more money by clients for sex without a condom, 75 of whom risked their wellness by accepting this money and agreeing to unprotected sex.
Older women and indoor sex workers were significantly less likely to report accepting more money for unprotected sex, and the authors surmised this may be because ‘older women with longer duration in sex work may be more experienced in negotiations with clients and more comfortable refusing demands for higher fees.’ They added, ‘Women who work in indoor settings can have more control over negotiations with clients regarding sexual transactions and can charge increased fees, potentially reducing the need to agree to clients’ demands for unsafe sex.’