FEMALE PROSTITUTION IN GLASGOW - DRUG-USE AND OCCUPATIONAL SECTOR

Ethnographic research undertaken between 1992 and 1996 aimed to discov er in what ways the varieties of social and commercial (including drug using) experiences of prostitutes are related to the forms of prostit ution in which they engage. Females working in each of the Glasgow pro stitution sectors (street, sauna, flat, escort and sugar daddy) were r ecruited by a multiple snowball sampling method which relied largely o n research by privileged access. Data gathering was naturalistic and f ieldwork extensive. Injecting, and acceptance of drug addiction as a r ationale for prostituting amongst street prostitutes continues to be c ontrasted with intolerance of routine drug use by indoor prostitutes. However, findings are that traditional demarcations between street dru g users and indoor non-users have diminished. Recreational drug use ha s become popular amongst some indoor sector workers. Differing environ mental conditions and the various 'social' demands of prostitution wer e linked with both contrasting applications and negative associations of at-work drug effects. Indoor prostitutes Use drugs to enhance work performance in the socialising aspect of their interactions with custo mers, and to counteract boredom. Street prostitutes use drugs to cope with the dangerous environment and harsh working conditions. Negative associations of drug use in indoor sectors were with loss of business acumen while on the street concern was with physical danger. By drawin g attention to the range of social contexts in prostitution and showin g the flexibility of norms these findings suggest that the health and education needs of prostitutes may vary between sectors and over time.