They Walk Among Us: Sex Work Exiting, Re-entry and Duality

This examination of sex work exit, re-entry, and duality includes the thoughts, experiences, and factors that individuals identify as having influenced their decisions about sex industry involvement. Utilizing literature on sex work exit from around the world, and using a blend of theoretical frameworks which include constructionist intersectionality, symbolic interactionism, and concepts of “capital,” “field,” and “habitus”, the decision-making processes of the 22 participants who contributed to this study are made clear. Their socio-structural positions as well as their personal dispositions are examined in order to understand exiting, re-entry, and duality from their viewpoint. The 22 participants are split into three subsamples based on their level of involvement in sex work: a) those who have exited and do not intend to return (n=9); b) those who have exited and acknowledge that they may return (n=8); and c) those who live dual lives both in and out of sex work (n=5). Sample participants make sense of their involvement in square work and sex work through their personal convictions as well as their interpretations of interactions with acquaintances and loved ones.