Today, I’m revisiting “vices” and independence, combining previous posts on pornography and prostitution.
There’s nothing explicit in this, so it’s safe for work (I’ve tried to keep this as dull as possible) – though obviously some of the subject matter may be offensive/sensitive (whatever you want to call it).
According to an ITV Wales report, figures from the Office of National Statistics estimate that (as of 2024) there were around 5,000 sex workers in Wales and 96% of those are women1.
It’s unclear how “sex (industry) worker” has been defined to calculate that figure. You could potentially include everything from running a sex shop to OnlyFans models, adult film actors and, ultimately, prostitutes.
A 2020 Bristol University study2 identified thirteen different types of modern sex work.
There are many reasons someone may decide to go into the sex industry, though one of the main drivers will be poverty and financial stress – as noted in the ITV report.
The Sex Work Debate: Empowering or Exploitative?
A lot of debate around sex work – and how the authorities should approach it – revolves around whether sex work (particularly prostitution) is an act of self-empowerment or a case of the sex worker being exploited. While there are male and transgender sex workers, the majority are women so there are also the obvious points to be made around misogyny and sexual violence.
The “sex positive” case would be that going into sex work is a person’s choice – unless they’ve been forced into doing so or trafficked (which is already illegal). Sex workers, therefore, deserve the same rights and status as any other part of the workforce in order to draw attention to address the stigmas attached to it. When done properly, it’s a flexible form of self-employment that often pays well.
Pornography and strip clubs etc. are taxed and licenced (to a degree). However, ONS figures suggest prostitution was worth an estimated £6.3billion to the UK economy in 20233. Much like drugs, none of this is officially taxed and the entire industry is unregulated, leaving those involved open to being exploited by criminal gangs and aggressive customers. It therefore presents a stronger argument for some form of regulation.
We may not necessarily like the idea, but sex workers provide a service. While there’s no right to sex or right to access porn, in some cases sex workers may be the only means by which people with disabilities or other disorders can achieve anything approaching a satisfying sex life – improving their quality of life and mental health. The Netherlands takes this a step further and the government pays for people with certain disabilities to hire sex workers on the advice of doctors (called “sex care”).
That’s the positive spin.. What about the negative?
Sex work may be an after effect of an underlying problem such as poverty, mental health problems or drug addiction, leaving sex workers open to being exploited. While “pimping” is illegal, in 2023 there were just over 1,100 recorded cases of sex trafficking to the UK4, the victims of which are more likely to be women and girls.
While it can be perfectly safe to be a sex worker – particularly as a higher-end “escort” working with wealthier clients – street prostitution and solicitation are inherently dangerous. There are mixed views on whether sex workers don’t get enough protection from the police or are unfairly targeted for harassment.
There has been a long-running debate on the issue of sexually transmitted diseases in both the pornography and wider sex work sectors. One study of Los Angeles-based adult film actors reported high rates of chlamydia or gonorrhea and low use of condoms5.
Another long-running debate is over whether pornography (mainly) objectifies women, leading to men and boys (and their future partners) getting unrealistic expectations of what sex is. One study for the European Journal of Social Psychology suggests that while both genders are equally guilty of objectification, women are more likely to be objectified as “parts” while men are more likely to be considered “as a whole”6.
Sex Work & Devolution
While sex workers in Wales will use devolved services (health, social services), nearly all laws around pornography and the sex industry lie under the broader “criminal justice” umbrella. That means they’re not devolved to Wales, but are devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Despite this, Scotland and Northern Ireland have largely replicated what’s happened in EnglandandWales – with a few notable exceptions. Scotland formally outlawed pornography depicting rape five years before EnglandandWales, while Northern Ireland has instituted the “Nordic Model” on prostitution – making paying for sex a criminal offence (more on this later).
Film classification/censorship is also a reserved matter for the UK Parliament. Other relevant laws that are not devolved include regulation of telecommunications/the internet (online pornography) and rules around civil licensing of sex businesses (adult cinemas, sex shops etc.).
As it’s not devolved, the sex industry isn’t something brought up at the Senedd level very often. Though campaigns around the rights of sex workers and the impact of/access to online pornography have made it to Cardiff Bay.
1. ITV Wales (28th August 2024). “Growing number of women turning to sex work amid ‘colossal’ rise in living costs”. Available at: https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2024-08-28/growing-number-of-women-turning-to-sex-work-amid-colossal-rise-in-living-costs
2. Matolcsi, A., Mulvihill, N., Lilley-Walker et.al. (2020). The Current Landscape of Prostitution and Sex Work in England and Wales. Sexuality and Culture, 25(1), 39-57. https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/239081538/Matolcsi_et_al_2020_The_current_landscape_of_prostitution_and_sex_work.pdf
3. Office of National Statistics (31st October 2024). “National accounts, Blue Book time series. 12.2 Prostitution NSA”. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/satelliteaccounts/timeseries/mnc8/bb
4. National Crime Agency. “National Strategic Assessment 2024”. Available at: https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/threats/nsa-modern-slavery-and-human-trafficking-2024
5. Javanbakht M, Dillavou MC, et.al. Transmission Behaviors and Prevalence of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Among Adult Film Performers. Sex Transm Dis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28182592/
6. Scientific American (July 25th 2012). “Our Brains See Men as Whole and Women as Parts”. Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/our-brains-see-men-as-whole-women-as-parts/
