You have full access to this open access article. This paper presents a comprehensive typology of the sex industry based on primary data collected between and for a UK Home Office-funded study. Typologies of the contemporary sex industry in England and Wales have tended to be limited to particular sectors or have been developed from a specific disciplinary perspective or theme e.
Situated in the context of international sex industry typologies, this paper seeks to address this gap. The data was supplemented with insights from a systematic literature search. This work aims to assist with programme and policy planning in the UK context.
Our methods can assist in developing typologies in other contexts. A typology of the sex industry can be useful both to understand and distinguish different activities and to assess prevalence, by providing categories within which to count.
This can enable the development of targeted services and policies adapted to the specificities and needs of different groups Buzdugan et al. Some employ a mix of categories. For example, Harcourt and Donovan , in their global typology detailed below , combine worksite, principal mode of soliciting clients and sexual practices.
Brooks-Gordon et al. Sometimes categorisations are inconsistent across typologies, which means categories will not be mutually exclusive, a feature that Buzdugan et al. Belmar et al. Buzdugan et al. They devised a typology based on place of both solicitation and the sex act: brothel to brothel, home to home, street to home, street to rented room, street to lodge, street to street. Many typologies only look at parts of the industry, for example particular types of sexual services. Or the focus is on certain groups of sellers, e.
