Who are We?
We are a loosely knit group of researchers and allies with an interest in the realities of those involved in the adult industry in Canada. We focus on using publicly available archival data in combination with relevant qualitative research to provide a more realistic picture of who does sex work in Canada and how they engage with the industry and society at large.
The papers listed below, representing over 15 years of history, all have associated datasets. Given that no research on the sex industry is definitive, your input is important: Readers are encouraged to download, review, and re-analyze the data associated with each paper as well as the stand alone datasets described below.
Published Peer-Reviewed Research
- Kennedy, L. (2022). The silent majority: The typical Canadian sex worker may not be who we think. PLoS ONE 17(11): e0277550. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277550 (PDF) (Data and supplementary materials: cached) Abstract
- Kennedy, L. (2024). Estimating turnover and industry longevity of Canadian sex workers. PLOS ONE, 19(3), e0298523. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298523 (PDF, PLOS ONE PDF, graphic) (Data and supplemental materials: cached) Abstract
- Kennedy, L. (2024). The changing meaning of “no” in Canadian sex work. PLOS ONE 19(4): e0301600. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0301600 (PDF, PLOS ONE PDF) (Data and supplemental materials: cached) Abstract Note that Fig 1 and Fig 2 images are swapped in the PLOS ONE article.
Pre-Prints
Research that is available to the public but may have not been scientifically reviewed. All research is peer reviewed by our advisors in the industry.
- Kennedy, L. (2023). Power users: Technology, trust, and the social networks of Canadian sex workers. SocArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/u5kd2 (PDF, graphic, presentation) (Data and supplemental materials: cached)
- Kennedy, L. (2023). What was the effect of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act on Canadian sex work advertising? SocArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/87u29 (PDF) (Supplemental materials: cached)
Other Writing
- Kennedy, L. (2024). My experience in social research. SocArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/e9ksg (PDF)
Datasets
All published papers and preprints have an associated osf.io project. For researchers who would like to explore the ad data further, the following anonymized datasets are available.
- Ad Views: https://osf.io/bu6sn/ (cached) public Ad pages from a classifieds site that provides statistics on views were captured daily to see how often ads were viewed. Data was collected between July 9 and August 10, 2023. During this period, ads were viewed median 128 times per day per ad (IQR 64-248, mean 195, SD 234, N=62582 ads). Client interest based on demographic data does not seem to conform to literature on price (image; see also Nelson et al. 2019 below). Summing the maximum daily visits for each region and ad category suggests that there were up to 433,962 daily visitors to the site.
- Ads: https://osf.io/zg9hp/ request access All ad texts used in our studies in tab delimited format with most identifying information removed. Metadata from the 2021-2022 collection which provided consistent metadata for ethnicity is included. A new dataset used in the “What was the effect of the PCEPA on Canadian sex work advertising?” paper is added. This contains the full database, anonymized, that was used for the population comparison. Note that data from the source sites is no longer accessible.
Open Research Questions
Our interests are evolving. These points represent some unresolved questions at the moment:
- What is the best way to integrate qualitative and archival research in this area?
- How can we create the most accurate and complete data possible?
- How can researchers effectively share archival data without revealing personally identifying information?
- How can we improve models to better understand the data?
- Is there a role for computer simulation in this type of research?
Ethics Statement
We understand that privacy and security are critically important for sex workers and allies. We also understand that reproducible results and collaboration are essential for research to progress.
- We respect the privacy of our collaborators. Contributors will never be asked to reveal their identity unless they so choose.
- All archival data was publicly available at the time of collection and was collected in accordance with the policies of the archival sources at the time of collection.
- All data collected is stored in a secure manner.
- Any datasets shared with researchers are anonymized.
Resources
Some relevant background research from external sources.
International:
- Abel, G., Fitzgerald, L., & Brunton, C. (2007). The Impact of the Prostitution Reform Act on the Health and Safety Practices of Sex Workers (p. 213). Department of Public Health and General Practice University of Otago, Christchurch. https://www.otago.ac.nz/christchurch/otago018607.pdf
- Abel, G. M. (2014). A decade of decriminalization: Sex work ‘down under’ but not underground. Criminology & Criminal Justice: An International Journal, 14(5), 580–592. Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=i3h&AN=98977147&site=ehost-live
- Nelson, A. J., Korgan, K. H., Izzo, A. M., & Bessen, S. Y. (2019). Client Desires and the Price of Seduction: Exploring the Relationship Between Independent Escorts’ Marketing and Rates. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(5), 664–680. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1606885
Canadian academic research:
- Allen, M., & Rotenberg, C. (2021). Crimes related to the sex trade: Before and after legislative changes in Canada (No. 85-002-X202100100010). Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2021001/article/00010-eng.htm
- Jeffrey, L. A., & MacDonald, G. (2006). “It’s the Money, Honey”: The Economy of Sex Work in the Maritimes*. The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 43(3), 313–327. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/money-honey-economy-sex-work-maritimes/docview/234927847/se-2?accountid=13800
- O’Doherty, T. (2007). Off-street Commercial Sex: An exploratory Study [Thesis (M.A.), Simon Fraser University]. http://summit.sfu.ca/item/8064
Canadian NGO reports:
- Pivot Legal Society. (2006). Beyond Decriminalization : Sex Work, Human Rights and a New Framework for Law Reform (p. 229). http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/pivotlegal/legacy_url/275/BeyondDecrimLongReport.pdf?1345765615