Navigating in the 'shadows' : risks and stigma management among female one-woman brothel sex workers in Hong Kong

Abstract

The legal status of sex work has a distinct colonial legacy in Hong Kong, such that today’s policies criminalize activities involving organized crime while simultaneously allowing sex workers to operate independently. This legal framework has led to a distinctive form of sex work in Hong Kong: one-woman brothels (OWBs). Despite OWBs legal status, sex workers lack labor protections, operating in the shadows of the legitimate economy and within the hidden nature of OWBs. Paradoxically, these “safe legal zones” expose them to client-imposed risks. Questions arise as to how sex workers navigate stigma and risks in an environment that operates in these shadows. This thesis draws on the structure-agency approach to examine: 1) How do participants experience stigma associated with sex work? 2) What are the risks participants face working in the sex industry? 3) How do the structural factors interact with participants’ agency in managing risk and stigma? This qualitative research draws on interviews with 24 female OWB sex workers with a majority in middle age (n=23) and observations. This research makes five theoretical contributions. First, this thesis expands the explanatory power of the structural-agency approach, offering a nuanced lens on human behavior and decision-making in the context of the shadow economy. Second, to address the challenge of connecting structure and agency, the analysis shows how social identities, and their intersections serve as crucial links between structure and agency. Third, this thesis contributes new insights into how social identities, especially as they intersect with age, affect workplace selection within the sex industry. It further contributes to the nuanced understanding of the middle-ground approach in sex work. Fourth, it contributes to the literature on labor precarity in the shadow economy by showing how social identities shape how people perceive and navigate uncertainties. Lastly, the analytical approach in this thesis contributes to methods for examining decision-making within a structure-agency framework. This theoretical lens sheds light on several key findings. Local middle-aged female sex workers represent a significant part of those working in OWBs. Their position results from interactions between structure, agency, and social identities. Legal and economic frameworks establish OWB conditions. When making workplace decisions, these women consider their identities (middle-aged women, local residents or citizens, and stigmatized sex workers) to maximize profits while protecting themselves from stigmatizing encounters, legal risks, and vulnerabilities. They take steps to maintain secrecy from those outside the industry but may seek help from police, other sex workers, or NGOs when necessary. As citizens, they assert their rights to police assistance but only as a last resort based on cost-effectiveness calculations. Lacking guaranteed immediate support from other sex workers and facing delays in police response times, they implement preventative measures to protect themselves from victimization. This research does not represent the breadth of experiences and identities of those working in the sex industry. Future research can consider other workers’ precarity and vulnerabilities in the sex industry or sectors in the shadow economy and how other marginalized populations perceive citizenship and “deservingness” of social welfare.