Table 3.
Distribution of select characteristics of female sex workers (FSWs) for the different durations of sex work.
| Duration of sex work (years) | ||||||
| Variable | Variable categories | Total (6648) | >5 (N = 1499) (% of total) [% of N] | >3–5 (N = 1617) (% of total) [% of N] | >1–3 (N = 2419) (% of total) [% of N] | ≤1 (N = 1113) (% of total) [% of N] |
| Type of FSW* | Street-based | 5010 | 946 (18.9) [63.1] | 1196 (23.9) [74.0] | 1952 (39.0) [80.7] | 916 (18.3) [82.3] |
| Home-based | 1499 | 514 (34.3) [34.3] | 382 (25.5) [23.6] | 429 (28.6) [17.7] | 174 (11.6) [15.6] | |
| Brothel-based | 139 | 39 (28.1) [2.6] | 39 (2.4) [2.4] | 38 (27.3) [1.6] | 23 (16.5) [2.1] | |
| Literacy * | Illiterate | 4966 | 1198 (24.1) [79.9] | 1244 (25.1) [76.9] | 1198 (24.1) [71.4] | 798 (16.1) [71.7] |
| Literate | 1682 | 301 (17.9) [20.1] | 373 (22.2) [23.1] | 301 (17.9) [28.6] | 315 (18.7) [28.3] | |
| Rural-urban area from where FSW was sampled*† | Rural | 1447 | 334 (23.1) [22.3] | 352 (24.3) [21.8] | 506 (35.0) [20.9] | 255 (17.6) [22.9] |
| Urban small | 749 | 225 (30.0) [15.0] | 196 (26.2) [12.1] | 249 (33.2) [10.3] | 79 (10.5) [7.1] | |
| Urban medium | 2838 | 606 (21.4) [40.4] | 695 (24.5) [43.0] | 1085 (38.2) [44.9] | 452 (15.9) [40.6] | |
| Urban large | 1614 | 334 (20.7) [22.3] | 374 (23.2) [23.1] | 579 (35.9) [23.9] | 327 (20.3) [29.4] | |
| Age at starting sex work (years)*‡ | 12–15 | 580 | 278 (47.9) [18.5] | 151 (26.0) [9.3] | 145 (25.0) [6.0] | 6 (1.0) [0.5] |
| 16–19 | 1392 | 291 (20.9) [19.4] | 281 (20.2) [17.4] | 528 (37.9) [21.8] | 292 (21.0) [26.2] | |
| 20–24 | 2017 | 381 (18.9) [25.4] | 434 (21.5) [26.9] | 776 (38.5) [32.1] | 426 (21.1) [38.3] | |
| 25–29 | 1763 | 355 (20.1) [23.7] | 486 (27.6) [30.1] | 647 (36.7) [26.7] | 275 (15.6) [24.7] | |
| 30–34 | 692 | 161 (23.3) [10.7] | 205 (29.6) [12.7] | 238 (34.4) [9.8] | 88 (12.7) [7.9] | |
| > = 35 | 203 | 33 (16.3) [2.2] | 59 (29.1) [3.7] | 85 (41.9) [3.5] | 26 (12.8) [2.3] | |
| Gap between first vaginal intercourse and sexual intercourse in exchange for money (years)*ठ| None | 922 | 355 (38.5) [23.7] | 238 (25.8) [14.7] | 269 (29.2) [11.1] | 60 (6.5) [5.4] |
| 1–2 | 481 | 116 (24.1) [7.7] | 109 (22.7) [6.7] | 177 (36.8) [7.3] | 79 (16.4) [7.1] | |
| 3–5 | 1062 | 186 (17.5) [12.4] | 201 (18.9) [12.4] | 411 (38.7) [17.0] | 264 (24.9) [23.7] | |
| 6–10 | 2102 | 402 (19.1) [26.8] | 485 (23.1) [30.0] | 810 (38.5) [33.5] | 405 (19.3) [36.4] | |
| 11–15 | 1393 | 312 (22.4) [20.8] | 387 (27.8) [24.0] | 489 (35.1) [20.2] | 205 (14.7) [18.4] | |
| >15 | 686 | 128 (18.7) [8.5] | 195 (28.4) [12.1] | 263 (38.3) [10.9] | 100 (14.6) [9.0] | |
*p < 0.001, Chi-square test.
†Urban small were towns with population <50000; urban medium were towns/cities with population 50001 – 200000; urban large were cities with population more than 200000; this classification was done based on Census of India data for each sub-site.
‡Age at starting sex work not available for 1 FSW, and gap between first vaginal intercourse and starting sex work not available for 2 FSWs.
§None: Age at the first vaginal intercourse and at starting sex work is same.