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.
Published 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 (cached) (press release) (data and supplementary materials)
Current Research
- The meaning of “no”: A simple way to see how workers communicate limits in large data sets is to look at the words that immediately precede or follow a single word. There are many ways that the word “no” is used and it is an important word for communicating health and safety information. (On SocArXiv) (supplemental materials) (cached)
- Sex work post COVID-19. This follows up on the original Silent Majority study. Data is being collected from Site 3 (see PLOS ONE paper above) from 2021-09-15 and is ongoing. A qualitative study of ~700 advertisers who used external websites is also being conducted to provide background. See our Twitter feed for updates.
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
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
- O’Doherty, T. (2011). Criminalization and Off-Street Sex Work in Canada. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 53(2), 217–245.
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
- Pivot Legal Society Sex Work Subcommittee. (2004). Voices for Dignity: A Call to End the Harms Caused by Canada’s Sex Trade Laws (p. 40). https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/pivotlegal/pages/85/attachments/original/1345748515/voicesfordignity.pdf?1345748515
- Benoit, C., & Millar, A. (2001). Dispelling Myths and Understanding Realities: Working Conditions, Health Status, and Exiting Experiences of Sex Workers.
Theoretical background:
- Weitzer, R. (2009). The Sociology of Sex Work. Annual Review of Sociology, 35(1), 213–234. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-070308-120025