Table 2.
Characteristics of sex work of 1567 female sex workers in Northern Karnataka, India, interviewed from Jan–July 2008
| Characteristics | Total N=1567 N (%) | Non-Migrant n=730 n (%) | Migrant n=645 n (%) | Mobile n=192 n (%) | P-value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at sex work debut | |||||
| < 18 years | 963 (61.5) | 437 (59.9) | 438 (67.9) | 88 (45.8) | <0.0001 |
| 18–24 years | 420 (26.8) | 193 (26.4) | 172 (26.7) | 55 (28.6) | |
| 25–29 years | 118 (7.5) | 60 (8.2) | 26 (4.0) | 32 (16.7) | |
| 30+ years | 66 (4.2) | 40 (5.5) | 9 (1.4) | 17 (8.9) | |
| Duration in sex work | |||||
| < 2 years | 50 (3.2) | 13 (1.8) | 23 (3.6) | 14 (7.3) | <0.0001 |
| 2–4 years | 230 (14.7) | 95 (13.0) | 103 (16.0) | 32 (16.7) | |
| 5–9 years | 540 (34.5) | 218 (29.9) | 258 (40.0) | 64 (33.3) | |
| 10+ years | 747 (47.7) | 404 (55.3) | 261 (40.5) | 82 (42.7) | |
|
| |||||
| Monthly income from sex work (In Indian rupees†) | |||||
| < 1000 | 387 (24.7) | 321 (44.0) | 17 (2.6) | 49 (25.5) | <0.0001 |
| 1000–2999 | 533 (34.0) | 328 (44.9) | 120 (18.6) | 85 (44.3) | |
| 3000–4999 | 278 (17.7) | 77 (10.5) | 169 (26.2) | 32 (16.7) | |
| 5000+ | 369 (23.5) | 4 (0.5) | 339 (52.6) | 26 (13.5) | |
| Contribution to household income from earnings from sex work ‡ | |||||
| All | 1026 (65.5) | 577 (79.0) | 333 (51.6) | 116 (60.4) | <0.0001 |
| More than half | 496 (31.7) | 142 (19.5) | 283 (43.9) | 71 (37.0) | |
| Less than half | 43 (2.7) | 10 (1.4) | 28 (4.3) | 5 (2.6) | |
| Source of income other than sex work | |||||
| Present | 694 (44.3) | 524 (71.8) | 61 (9.5) | 109 (56.8) | <0.0001 |
| Main place of solicitation§,|| | |||||
| Home | 749 (47.9) | 592 (81.3) | 83 (12.9) | 74 (38.5) | <0.0001 |
| Brothel | 456 (29.2) | 5 (0.7) | 402 (62.4) | 49 (25.5) | |
| Street | 227 (14.5) | 16 (2.2) | 153 (23.8) | 58 (30.2) | |
| Other | 132 (8.4) | 115 (15.8) | 6 (0.9) | 11 (5.7) | |
| Source of clients|| | |||||
| Independently | 529 (33.8) | 178 (24.5) | 302 (46.9) | 49 (25.5) | <0.0001 |
| Clients come on their own | 923 (59.0) | 489 (67.2) | 316 (49.1) | 118 (61.5) | |
| Other | 152(9.8) | 71 (9.8) | 48 (7.8) | 33 (17.0) | |
| Main place of having sex §,|| | |||||
| Home | 777 (49.7) | 604 (83.0) | 100 (15.5) | 73 (38.0) | <0.0001 |
| Brothel | 649 (41.5) | 1 (0.1) | 540 (83.9) | 108 (56.3) | |
| Other | 138 (8.8) | 123 (16.9) | 4 (0.6) | 11 (5.7) | |
| Number of clients per day || | |||||
| 1 | 471 (30.1) | 417 (57.3) | 5 (0.8) | 49 (25.5) | <0.0001 |
| 2 | 335 (21.4) | 246 (33.8) | 40 (6.2) | 49 (25.5) | |
| 3+ | 758 (48.5) | 65 (8.9) | 599 (93.0) | 94 (49.0) | |
| Number of sexual acts per day || | |||||
| 1 | 417 (26.7) | 380 (52.2) | 5 (0.8) | 32 (16.7) | <0.0001 |
| 2 | 325 (20.8) | 253 (34.8) | 28 (4.3) | 44 (22.9) | |
| 3+ | 822 (52.6) | 95 (13.0) | 611 (94.9) | 116 (60.4) | |
| Practice sex work in native village/POI‡ | 898 (57.3) | 728 (99.7) | 80 (12.4) | 90 (46.9) | <0.0001 |
| Ever gone outside the district for sex work | 967 (61.7) | 230 (31.5) | 645 (100) | 92 (47.9) | <0.0001 |
| Practice sex work in other places within the district | 316 (20.2) | 79 (10.8) | 52 (8.1) | 185 (96.4) | <0.0001 |
| Planning to go to other places in the districts in the next 3 months | 211 (13.5) | 29 (4.0) | 19 (2.90 | 163 (84.9) | <0.0001 |
| Practise sex work in other places outside the district/state | 967 (61.7) | 230 (31.5) | 645 (100.0) | 92 (47.9) | <0.0001 |
| Planning to go to other places outside the districts in the next 3 months | 664 (42.4) | 28 (3.8) | 588 (91.2) | 48 (25.0) | <0.0001 |
| Have sex with new/occasional client § | 1294 (82.6) | 502 (68.8) | 633 (98.1) | 159 (82.8) | <0.0001 |
| Have sex with regular client § | 1372 (87.6) | 649 (88.9) | 581 (90.1) | 142 (74.0) | <0.0001 |
| Have sex with non-paying partner§ | 623 (39.8) | 478 (65.5) | 120 (18.6) | 25 (13.0) | <0.0001 |
| Condom use with new/occasional clients§,|| | |||||
| Every time | 1202 (92.6) | 428 (84.8) | 629 (99.2) | 145 (91.2) | <0.0001 |
| Condom use with regular clients§,|| | |||||
| Every time | 1148 (83.7) | 491 (75.8) | 550 (94.7) | 107 (75.4) | <0.0001 |
| Condom use with non-paying partners§,|| | |||||
| Every time | 149 (23.5) | 104 (21.6) | 31 (24.8) | 14 (50.0) | <0.0001 |
| Ever been arrested for sex work | |||||
| No | 1110 (70.8) | 710 (97.3) | 300 (46.5) | 100 (52.1) | <0.0001 |
| Yes | 51 (3.3) | 14 (1.9) | 27 (4.2) | 10 (5.2) | |
| No response | 406 (25.9) | 6 (0.8) | 318 (49.3) | 82 (42.7) | |
p-value is for chi-square test of independence comparing all three levels of migration
1 Dollar ≈ 42 Indian rupees at the time of data collection
During piloting, respondents and interviewers indicated that a response of exactly half was not appropriate and therefore this response option was not included
Home includes any house or rented room
Brothel includes lodge, dhaba (small restaurants and rest stops along highways) or brothel
Street includes bar/nightclub, vehicle, park, street, cinema halls, bus stands, railway stations and highway
other includes any other place other than mentioned above
At place of residence for non-migrant sex workers and at most recent place of migration for migrant and mobile sex workers
POI: Place of interview
Among FSWs who had these clients