Incentives for Bangkok Sex Workers in Conservative Buddhist Thailand

This study is a qualitative analysis that examines the incentives for Bangkok sex workers to engage farang (foreign tourists) in Thailand. A total of 86 informants were divided into focus group discussions of 5-7 persons per group. Each sex worker (informant) must have lived continuously in Bangkok for at least 10 years. No underaged sex workers participated in the research. The Principal Investigator (PI) made use of non-participant observation along three main themes: (1) why, how, and for how long have they been in the industry; (2) what motivates them to remain in the industry, especially since there are no sex workers’ rights in Thailand; and (3) what they think about the idea of being in an industry where body-shaming might ride roughshod in Thailand’s conservative Buddhist culture. No names were taken but each was carefully briefed by a local Thai interpreter, and all had to give the PI and his research team permission to conduct the study Five main incentives were deduced: (i) to have intimate interactions with farang vs. local Thai men; (ii) the sex workers’ revealed a preference for farang clients who were willing to pay much more; (iii) the perception by both sex workers and clients that sex work and sex tourism was mainly recreational; (iv) a general lack of awareness of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD); (v) the industry was about providing a better life for their families. These incentives represent the group and individual motivations for receiving money in exchange for sexual pleasure