Understanding Perceived Agency: An Analysis of Sex Workers’ Lived Experiences

Authors

• Alyssa King, University of Nebraska at KearneyFollow

Abstract

This study explores the perceived agency of female sex workers through narrative analysis of publicly available YouTube interviews from the Soft White Underbelly series. Using a qualitative design grounded in Modified Grounded Theory, the research employed open, axial, and selective coding to identify key dimensions of agency, including bodily autonomy, workplace control, financial decision-making and coping mechanisms. Findings reveal that sex workers’ agency exists on a spectrum, shaped by intersecting structural constraints such as criminalization, stigma, poverty, and violence. While some interviewees describe empowerment through control over clients and earnings, others report diminished autonomy due to coercion, financial dependency, and unsafe working conditions. The study challenges binary portrayals of sex workers as either empowered or exploited, instead highlighting the complex negotiations of power and survival within their lived experiences. These findings underscore the need for nuanced, rights-based policy approaches that center sex workers’ voices and address systemic barriers to autonomy and well-being.

Recommended Citation

King, Alyssa (2026) "Understanding Perceived Agency: An Analysis of Sex Workers’ Lived Experiences," Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 27, Article 4.
Available at: https://openspaces.unk.edu/undergraduate-research-journal/vol27/iss1/4