Whilst there has been a growing recognition that sex work often exists at multiple intersecting factors, e.g. ethnicity, gender, class, immigration status and (dis)ability, and how such factors impact sex workers’ abilities to access welfare, housing, health, and social support, academic research is yet to take intersectionality as the core organising principle. This research aims to consider a range of structural factors and examine how they intersect and shape realities of sex work.

It is hoped that, by involving grassroot organisations and service providers in the third and public sector, this research will use interviews to explore the ‘multidimensionality’ of sex workers’ experiences.

Due to the paucity of sex work research based in Wales, this research seeks to address this gap and provide findings of national importance. It is hoped that this project will also have international implications for how sex work is conceptualised and governed due to the focus on structural factors. It aims to ensure a theory-practice connection and provide relevance to key policy debates such as Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sex Violence as well as policy issues associated with gender, vulnerability, deviance, crime and safety.