Exploring Financial Realities: A Qualitative Study on Income Strategies of Female Sex Workers in Rotterdam’s Unlawful Sex Industry

Abstract Introduction For many sex workers, money is the most important reason to engage in sex work. Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and aims to regulate its sex industry by distinguishing licensed, unlicensed, and illegal sex work; the latter in this article is referred to as unlawful sex work. This article focuses on female unlawfully working sex workers in Rotterdam and examines the financial advantages and disadvantages of working unlawfully, their consideration to pay taxes or not and their ways to increase their income. Methods From November 2021 to March 2022, 38 qualitative in-depth interviews and 17 qualitative observations were carried out with sex workers, social workers and authorities. Results The results indicate that the income is higher when working unlawfully but has disadvantages. Sex workers differ in whether they pay taxes. Moreover, there are different ways in which a sex worker can increase her income, including competition and mobility. Conclusions Though the Municipality of Rotterdam aimed for a regulated, lawful sex industry, unlawful sex work can still be an important means of income. There are different aspects these sex workers need to consider, and sex workers can do this in different ways for different reasons. Policy Implications. Income as the most important reason to engage in sex work underscores the need for policies addressing sex workers’ financial vulnerability, access to lawful employment opportunities in the sex industry, and financial stability.