The Labour of Paying for Education: An Exploration of Student Sex Work in Canada

This thesis contributes to a small body of research that examines student sex work in a Canadian context. By drawing on data gathered from semi-structured qualitative interviews with ten student sex workers, this thesis seeks to gain a nuanced understanding of students' experiences with sex work in Canada, and their use of university support services. Specifically, this study explores student sex workers' motivations for entering the sex industry, the benefits and challenges that they have encountered while working, whether they are accessing university support services and if and how they would benefit from the implementation of targeted support services in post-secondary institutions. The findings present an in-depth analysis of students' choices to enter the sex industry and their experiences therein. Further, this research seeks to provide suggestions as to how services could be implemented and adapted to better meet the needs of the student sex-working population.