Who exactly are UK sex workers? Are they usually a certain gender or class? Would you, say, find it easy to pick one out on a busy street? Well, if you were invested in decades-old preconceptions, you might say the average sex worker is a female in her 20s or 30s – who had no other option, of course – catering to sleazy married male clients. With the enduring stigma and veil of secrecy that continues to follow sex work around like a bad smell, it’s not surprising that these sexist stereotypes endure.

So, who is a sex worker, if not this archetype? A major new study by the universities of Birmingham and Lancaster has some suggestions. Analysing over 27,000 online advertisements for the commercial sale of sex, researchers looked at the characteristics of individuals offering sexual services. Contrary to the stereotype, more than one in three escorts identify as male or trans, and two-thirds of escorts advertise to women. Far from just being young, ages ranged from 18 to 91. They also discovered that four in five identify as white.

Particularly considering the ongoing debate about the criminalisation of sex work – supported by Lena Dunham and co and opposed mostly by active sex workers and allies – this research is significant. If we let stereotypes cloud decision-making, it could, at the very least, adversely affect the lives of sex workers themselves.

Dr Nicola Smith, senior lecturer in Political Science at the University of Birmingham, backed this up in her conclusion: “These figures underscore the need to challenge dominant prejudices about sex workers and their clients, which mask the complex reality of the sex industry today. Debates about commercial sex need to move beyond outdated stereotypes that women are sex objects and men are sex predators – desire takes many forms, and the sex industry is no exception to this.”

It’s also important to note that the study solely drew data from online ads. This may not account for many victims of human trafficking, for example. However, as debates progress within the UK, as they inevitably will, hopefully we’ll see this extensive study accounted for. 

Cover image courtesy of Megan Eagles, styling by Laura Anne Groves