Female prostitution in Glasgow: Drug use and occupational sector

Ethnographic research undertaken between 1992 and 1996 aimed to discover in what ways the varieties of social and commercial (including drug using) experiences of prostitutes are related to the forms of prostitution in which they engage. Females working in each of the Glasgow prostitution sectors (street, sauna, flat, escort and sugar daddy) were recruited by a multiple snowball sampling method which relied largely on research by privileged access. Data gathering was naturalistic and fieldwork extensive. Injecting, and acceptance of drug addiction as a rationale for prostituting amongst street prostitutes continues to be contrasted with intolerance of routine drug use by indoor prostitutes. However, findings are that traditional demarcations between street drug users and indoor non-users have diminished. Recreational drug use has become popular amongst some indoor sector workers. Differing environmental conditions and the various 'social' demands of prostitution were linked with both contrasting applications and negative associations of at-work drug effects. Indoor prostitutes Use drugs to enhance work performance in the socialising aspect of their interactions with customers, and to counteract boredom. Street prostitutes use drugs to cope with the dangerous environment and harsh working conditions. Negative associations of drug use in indoor sectors were with loss of business acumen while on the street concern was with physical danger. By drawing attention to the range of social contexts in prostitution and showing the flexibility of norms these findings suggest that the health and education needs of prostitutes may vary between sectors and over time.