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Brokers and the Earnings of Female Sex Workers in India

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  • Brady, David
  • Biradavolu, Monica R.
  • Blankenship, Kim M.

Abstract

This study examines whether working with a broker increases or reduces the payment received for the last client among female sex workers. Building on research on the informal economy and sex work, we formulate a positive embeddedness hypothesis, expecting a positive association, and an exploitation hypothesis, expecting a negative association. We analyze a large survey combined with intensive interview data on female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India. These data uniquely distinguish between the amount the sex worker actually received and the amount the client paid. The analyses show that brokers are associated with significantly lower last payment received. Although brokers are associated with a greater number of clients in the past week, this does not result in significantly higher total earnings in the past week. Further analyses suggest that much of the negative relationship with earnings is due to the fact that brokers lead to a lack of control over the amount clients are charged. At the same time, the results fail to show that brokers actually provide services of value. Ultimately, the results support the exploitation hypothesis. We conclude by encouraging the refinement of theories of embeddedness and exploitation and calling for greater research on workers in the informal economy of developing countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Brady, David & Biradavolu, Monica R. & Blankenship, Kim M., 2015. "Brokers and the Earnings of Female Sex Workers in India," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 80(6), pages 1123-1149.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:190199
    DOI: 10.1177/0003122415609051
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Raj Arunachalam & Manisha Shah, 2013. "Compensated for Life: Sex Work and Disease Risk," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 48(2), pages 345-369.
    2. Folbre, Nancy, 1982. "Exploitation Comes Home: A Critique of the Marxian Theory of Family Labour," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 6(4), pages 317-329, December.
    3. Paul Gertler & Manisha Shah & Stefano M. Bertozzi, 2005. "Risky Business: The Market for Unprotected Commercial Sex," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(3), pages 518-550, June.
    4. Richard J. Green and Michael G. Pollitt, 2008. "Introduction," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Special I), pages 1-2.
    5. Rao, Vijayendra & Gupta, Indrani & Lokshin, Michael & Jana, Smarajit, 2003. "Sex workers and the cost of safe sex: the compensating differential for condom use among Calcutta prostitutes," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 585-603, August.
    6. Biradavolu, Monica Rao & Burris, Scott & George, Annie & Jena, Asima & Blankenship, Kim M., 2009. "Can sex workers regulate police? Learning from an HIV prevention project for sex workers in southern India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(8), pages 1541-1547, April.
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