About

Working Title of PhD: A Changing Industry: Women's experience of conducting sexualised labour in exotic dance venues in Scotland

Summary: The purpose of my thesis is to unveil the voices of women who work in Scotland’s exotic dance industry, and so is influenced by a Feminist methodology. My paper will provide a  snapshot into the labouring realties for women by focusing on their individual experiences. Some themes that are reflected on include emotional labour, themes of power and surveillance in the clubs, beautification and economic power. Participants also provide insight into the way the working environment and strategies have altered as women have found that lap dancing has become less financially lucrative in recent years. In addition, the study also gives an idea of who labours in such places as we enter the second decade of a new millennium, and suggests ways in which working conditions for women who work in an environment which, although presently tolerated by policymakers , continues to operate within in an unregulated manner. This lack of regulation offers a variety of benefits to those who own the venues, often at the expense of dancers satisfaction at work.

Keywords: Sexualised Labour, Power, Gender

Year commenced PhD study: 2008 (full time)

 Funding Source: ESRC