In this accessible study of the sex industry in England and Wales, Natasha Mulvihill (criminology, University of Bristol) interweaves the voices of sex workers (and a few sex buyers) from email interviews with more than 40 people. Those interviewed include male and female independent sex workers, as well as brothel workers, erotic dancers, and strippers. The introduction overviews the policy context, describes past and present approaches to prostitution in England and Wales, and provides a literature review. The study is presented as an example of the benefits of participant-centered, qualitative research for studying sex workers. The book’s audience includes policymakers and students in criminology, sociology, social policy, and law. Distributed in the US by Marston Book Services. Annotation ©2022 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Using unpublished email interviews collected for a Home Office project on the sex industry, this anthology presents the individual stories of sex workers and buyers in England and Wales, in their own words. The author Natasha Mulvihill also re-interviews the participants to reflect on their original interviews, their experience of engaging in research and of managing through the COVID-19 pandemic. Of interest to policymakers and students of criminology, sociology, social policy, law and qualitative methods, the text seeks to navigate through the difficult politics of the sex industry and re-focus our understanding on the lived experiences of those involved.