Table 1.
Demographic, financial, participation and empowerment characteristics of brothel-based female sex workers in Kolkata, India (n = 200)
| Variable | % | n | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | ||||
| Age (range 18–55 years) | 29.5 | 6.9 | ||
| Years of schooling (0–12 years) | 2.3 | 3.3 | ||
| No formal education | 60.5 | 121 | ||
| Class 1–6 | 24.5 | 49 | ||
| Class 7–12 | 15.0 | 30 | ||
| Age of entry into sex work (12–40 years) | 21.2 | 5.0 | ||
| Less than 18 years old | 20.5 | 41 | ||
| 18 years or older | 79.5 | 159 | ||
| Time in sex work (0–39 years) | 8.3 | 8.3 | ||
| Experienced physical violence past 6 months | 20.0 | 40 | ||
| Reason for entering sex work (not mutually exclusive) | ||||
| In need of money | 78.0 | 156 | ||
| Advised by friend or relative | 11.5 | 23 | ||
| Was a traditional sex worker | 2.5 | 5 | ||
| Lured, cheated, or forced into sex work | 16.5 | 33 | ||
| To get independence | 20.5 | 41 | ||
| To get out of family violence | 14.0 | 28 | ||
| To get out of hard work | 6.0 | 12 | ||
| Economic security | ||||
| Number of days of sex work past week | 4.5 | 2.1 | ||
| Number of clients past week (range 0–45) | 9.8 | 8.2 | ||
| Regular clients past week (0–14 clients) | 2.9 | 3.1 | ||
| Occasional clients past week (0–41 clients) | 7.0 | 7.2 | ||
| Average weekly income from sex work (50–10,000 INR) | 1530.9 | 1543.1 | ||
| 50–500 INR | 24.0 | 48 | ||
| 501–1000 INR | 32.1 | 64 | ||
| 1001–2000 INR | 25.0 | 50 | ||
| 2001–10,000 INR | 18.9 | 38 | ||
| Number of dependents (0–11) | 3.1 | 2.1 | ||
| No dependents | 10.5 | 21 | ||
| At least one dependent | 89.5 | 179 | ||
| Financially independent | 63.6 | 126 | ||
| Secure housing | 69.0 | 138 | ||
| Has bank account | 56.5 | 105 | ||
| Has an USHA cooperative passbook | 52.5 | 113 | ||
| Saved money past year | 67.5 | 135 | ||
| Borrowed money past year | 39.5 | 79 | ||
| Currently in debt | 34.5 | 69 | ||
| Durbar intervention participation & exposure | ||||
| Member of Durbar | 63.0 | 126 | ||
| Served as a peer educator at Durbar past 6 months | 23.0 | 46 | ||
| Level of participation in Durbar (0–3, low to high) | 1.2 | 1.1 | ||
| Not a member | 37.0 | 74 | ||
| Member but do not participate | 21.0 | 42 | ||
| Member and participate infrequently | 29.0 | 58 | ||
| Member and participate regularly | 13.0 | 26 | ||
| Number of times visited by Durbar past month (0–5) | 3.6 | 1.4 | ||
| Received pamphlets about HIV/AIDS from Durbar past 6 months | 30.5 | 61 | ||
| Participated in past 6 months: | 73.0 | 146 | ||
| Workshops to instruct other sex workers | 5.0 | 10 | ||
| Door-to-door educational (mobilization) campaigns | 28.0 | 56 | ||
| Conferences | 29.5 | 59 | ||
| Empowerment indicators | ||||
| Collective identity (full range 0–36, actual 6–36, low to high) | 22.0 | 5.2 | ||
| Perceived institutional fairness (range 0–12, unfair to fair) | 8.3 | 2.8 | ||
| Autonomy with clients (range 0–12, low to high) | 10.1 | 2.6 | ||
| I decide the number of clients to take (0–4, never to always) | 3.4 | 1.1 | ||
| I decide the type of sex to have with clients (0–4) | 3.4 | 0.9 | ||
| I decide how much to charge clients (0–4) | 3.3 | 1.2 | ||
| Political self-efficacy (full 0–16, actual 4–15, low to high) | 9.1 | 1.8 | ||
| Legitimacy of sex work (full 0–16, actual 3–15, low to high) | 9.3 | 2.0 | ||
| Proud of being a sex worker (full 0–4, never to always) | 2.5 | 1.3 | ||
| “Always” proud of being a sex worker (yes/no) | 38.0 | 76 | ||
| Sexual risk knowledge, attitudes, behaviors | ||||
| Condom knowledge scale (0–3, low to high) | 2.4 | 1.1 | ||
| HIV knowledge scale (0–4, low to high) | 4.5 | 0.7 | ||
| Number of times had sex with regular clients past week (range 0–27) | 3.5 | 4.0 | ||
| Number of times had sex with occasional clients past week (range 0–35) | 7.3 | 7.1 | ||
| Always used a condom with all clients past month | 88.5 | 177 | ||
| Convinced a client to use condom past month | 87.5 | 175 | ||
| Refused a client for any reason past month | 64.5 | 129 | ||
| Client offered more money for sex without condom past 5 years | 31.5 | 63 | ||
| Accepted more money for sex without condom past 5 years | 17.5 | 35 | ||
| Experienced physical violence past 6 months | 20.0 | 40 | ||
| Experienced STI symptoms past 6 months | 41.5 | 83 | ||
| Received STI treatment for STI symptoms past 6 months | 40.0 | 80 | ||
| Perceived HIV risk | 65.0 | 130 | ||
| Taken an HIV test past 6 months | 49.0 | 98 | ||
| Knows results of last HIV test | 48.0 | 96 | ||
| Used condom with last regular client (n = 199) | 74.5 | 149 | ||
| Used condom with last occasional client (n = 199) | 76.0 | 152 | ||
| Used condom with BOTH last regular AND last occasional client | 62.0 | 124 | ||