The Regulatory Dance: Investigating the Structural Integration of Sexual Consumption into the Night Time Economy.

Lead Research Organisation: University of Leeds
Department Name: Sociology & Social Policy

Abstract

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Description Dancers identified a number of advantages and attractions. Key amongst these were, 'flexibility' and independence , instant remuneration, earning more than in other roles, keeping fit, and an opportunity to combine fun and work. This resulted in a steady flow of labour supply. However some of these exact characteristics could be disadvantages as dancing remained precarious in terms of a stable income, high overheads, no employee protection, and a competitive environment. Coupled with fewer customers and expenditure during the recession, dancing proved to be a difficult job without guaranteed income. There were also disadvantages for some dancers of keeping the job secret and rude/abusive clients were a problem.

No evidence or anecdotes of forced labour or trafficking of women was found. However, some migrant workers reported high fees for agencies and accommodation. Although 'extra services' were reported anecdotally by dancers, there was no evidence of lap dancing having connections to organised prostitution. Dancers generally reported high levels of job satisfaction. Almost three quarters (74.1 per cent) stated their job satisfaction as between 7 and 10 out of 10. No dancers said that their job satisfaction was 0-2. However, they faced a number of problems in the work place, relating to customer behaviour; insecure work; and financial exploitation.
Exploitation Route We hope the dissemination of research findings can provide practical information about dancer working conditions and raise awareness amongst Local Authorities of the issues dancers raised regarding their experiences in this workplace.

The consultation phase of the dissemination project found that a number of Local Authority Licensing Committees have now begun to consider dancer welfare, some have added licensing conditions specifically. This follow on consultation has identified a number of ways licensing could support dancer safety. These include:

- Requiring clubs to clearly display council rules in a number of places in the club: toilets, changing rooms etc.

- Requiring license holders to provide a range of information to dancers on their engagement including information about; house rules, insurance.

- Requiring clubs to provide access to adequate changing and kitchen facilities.

- Setting limits on the number of dancers related to the capacity of clubs.

- Tighter regulation on the location and design of private booths to achieve a balance between privacy and security. Requiring clubs to fit panic buttons in booths.

- Requiring owners to submit their codes of conduct, policies on house fees, commission and fining. Requiring receipts to be provided for fines, fees and commission. This research can be used to directly inform Local Authority Licensing Committees about the development of their Sexual Entertainment Venue Policy; if can be used to inform industry of good practice; and information from the findings doubled with continued consultation with women in the industry can provide core information about their employment rights.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice
URL http://www.sociology.leeds.ac.uk/research/projects/regulatory-dance.php
 
Description Key Points • The continuous supply of dancers, rather than the demand for erotic dance, accounted for the expansion of the industry. • The overwhelming majority of women were satisfied with their jobs as dancers, although they also identified negative elements. • Advantages included: choosing own hours; getting money instantly; earning more than in other roles; being independent; combining fun with work. • Disadvantages included: never knowing how much money they would make; keeping the job secret; customers being rude/abusive; competing with other dancers. • Most women felt safe at work, although nearly half reported frequent verbal harassment and unwanted touching from customers. • Only a minority of women were solely dancing, most combined dancing with other work and education. • Dancing was used as a strategy to enable and facilitate career prospects and security in the future. • Dancers' status as 'self employed' workers resulted in exploitation as they had no rights or recognition in the workplace. • Overheads were high: house fees, commission on dances, and fines (often arbitrary) for breaking 'house rules' reduced capacity to earn and most dancers had left a shift not making any money. • The current focus on licensing does not consider the welfare or working conditions of the dancers. Improving Conditions Insurance: Very few dancers had work related insurance. Some vaguely knew that they needed it, but others had never thought about it and no-one had ever spoken to them about it. Security: In order to improve security, panic alarms, more CCTV and doormen were cited as important. Similarly, many felt that the way in which private booths were set up also endangered them and also allowed standards to be lowered by dancers offering more than is allowed in the dances. Change in Licensing. There was a strong feeling that the legal changes introduced under SEV licensing would not help the industry be safer or a good place to work.
First Year Of Impact 2011
Sector Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services
 
Description Influencing sex entertainment venue policy
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact We were able to specifically affect the licensing conditions of poilicy in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Westminster, Blackpool, Camden, Bristol. At a national level the PI was invited to attend a meeting with the Home Office lead for lapdancing, based in the Interpersonal Violence Policy Team. The contact reported that one particularly useful outcome of the meeting was being introduced to the main issues as reported by the dancers themselves, which he was previously unfamiliar with.
 
Description Media engagement activities 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Following the running of a double page spread on initial findings in The Independent Newspaper on 27th August 2011 , there was extensive and far-reaching media dissemination of the project's findings. The initial article was a collaboration with Sarah Cassidy, Social Affairs Correspondent for The Independent. Findings were passed to Reuters, whose wire service feeds into newsrooms around the UK and the world. The story was subsequently picked up by national newspapers, as well as international media around the world including: The Vancouver Sun, The Malaysian Insider, The China Post, The Khaleej Times (Dubai), United Press International (US), The Hindustan Times (India) and Indian-based newspaper Daily News and Analysis (DNA). It was translated into many languages, including: French, Romanian, Thai and Chinese. The resulting pieces were too numerous to count.

The key UK coverage is outlined below:

o BBC Breakfast News ran a live discussion on the findings on 28th August 2011, featuring Peter Stringfellow on the panel .
o The Daily Telegraph featured a discussion of findings, motivations of dancers and working conditions: 'One in Four Lapdancers Has A Degree' (27th August 2010)
o The Sun Newspaper's piece 'Lapdancers Not Just Pretty Faces' included extensive quotations from Teela Sanders and discussed working conditions and motivations of dancers. The Sun then followed up the initial article with a piece giving case studies of undergraduate dancers' perspectives on dancing which again featured findings ('We Strip to Pay For Our Degrees', 9th September 2010).
o The Daily Star ('A Quarter of all Lapdancers are Degree Holders', 28th August 2011), The Daily Mail ('One in Four Lap Dancers has a University Degree, 29th August 2010) and The Metro ('One in Four Strippers Has a University Degree' 27th August 2010) ran pieces on findings, discussing various aspects ranging from dancer motivations to working conditions and including quotes from researchers.
o The study was discussed in an article about students selling sex to fund their studies in a detailed article in The Times (13th September 2010).
o The Times Higher Education section included discussion of the findings in its weekly editorial comment 'The Week In Higher Education' (2nd September 2010), with a focus on students dancing to fund education.
o A range of specialist press ran the story, with People Management (A HR Website) and Salon.com (A lifestyle Website) being notable examples.
o Student media also picked up on links between lapdancing and education. The findings were featured on UK-based internet forums such as Ivy League and Unemployed and thestudentroom.co.uk. The latter is a membership-based forum with 500 000 members.
o A comment piece in The Observer (29th August 2010) on feminism and the sex trade prompted extensive online debate from readers and bloggers, where the lapdancing project's findings were discussed.
o The study was discussed in the story 'Why DO women visit strip clubs?' (Daily Mail, 18/10/11) where Teela Sanders talks about how women appreciate the security and management of strip clubs.
o Desperate students "turning to prostitution" (Yahoo! News UK, 14/12/11). The research by Drs Kate Hardy and Teela Sanders (Sociology) is cited in an article about a warning from the NUS that students are paying their way through university by working in the sex industry.
o The rise and fall of lap dancing (BBC News, 09/02/12). Strip clubs across England and Wales face closure thanks to changes in licensing rules, reversing a previous boom. University of Leeds research by Dr Teela Sanders and Dr Kate Hardy (Sociology) is cited.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2010,2011
 
Description One in four lap dancers has a degree 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact This was an initial report regarding the results of the survey with dancers, published by the

The Independent
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
URL http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/one-in-four-lap-dancers-has-a-degree-study-finds-2063...