Research on indoor sex work in Poland : An ethnographer's dilemmas

Izabela Ślęzak

doi:10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-0988

Authors

Izabela Ślęzak Lodz University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-0988

Keywords:

Escort agency, indoor sex work, qualitative research, ethnography

Abstract

In this article, I would like to present selected dilemmas connected with conducting empirical sociological studies of indoor sex work in Poland. The dilemmas result from the social, cultural and legal context in which escort agencies operate. The impact of different dimensions of the context is visible both at the level of actions undertaken by escort agency managers and workers as well as the researcher’s opportunities and possibilities for data collection. My considerations are based on qualitative field research which I carried out between 2007 and 2013, at four premises, so-called escort agencies, operating in the Polish city of Lodz. The article will start with an explanation of what escort agencies are, and with a brief outline of the Polish legal provisions related to prostitution, with special emphasis on the situation of escort agencies. I will then characterize the research project briefly, and present some of the challenges posed during its realization.

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