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SELECTED ASPECTS OF LIFE STYLE OF WOMEN IN PRIVATE SEX BUSINESS

S. Ondrasek, A. Kajanova

Abstract

The poster includes the partial results acquired within the GAJU 029/2016/S project – Life style of women in private sex business and their (self-)reflection. The main goal of the study consisted in studying and analyzing selected aspects of life style of women in private sex business. Private sex business is a very insufficiently research area, also due to high level of anonymity it provides to the women and to the clients. However, in view of the low mapping level and the relevant issue of sexual assistance, this target group must be paid more professional attention, contributing to understand its structure, needs and phenomena related to private sex business. The study made use of qualitative research strategy, specifically biographic-narrative interview. The research set consisted of twenty women from South Bohemian Region who work in private sex business, i.e. in one of the highest ranks in sex business hierarchy, and who advertise their services at the Naprivat, Agamaseznamka and Eroticke-privaty web portals. The interviews were recorded on a voice recorder with the respondents' consent; after that, they were verbatim transcribed and analyzed by the Atlas.ti program. We analyzed the data under use of the anchored theory method; the following categories were identified with the help of open and axial coding: prevention of sexually transmissible disease, relations with the family and stigmatization. The results show that the women are aware of the risk of transmission of sexual diseases; they use condoms and some of them also make use of regular testing on those diseases; on the other hand, they are increasingly ready to practice risky sex with a regular client or with a client "picked" by them. The relations with the families are generally evaluated as good by the respondents, but they report to conceal their work in sex business, because of fear of incomprehension and fear of being rejected by the family. There have also been cases that the respondent financially supported her family. Financial support may concern not only the family but also the partner who tolerates the work in sex business thanks to the profits. Work in sex business constitutes a distinct stigma, which is why the women conceal that fact even from their friends.

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