Women might be poor, but they've still got their bodies to sell thank goodness:
‘We’ve made a mint in the sexcession’
The credit crunch may be biting, but the sex industry is booming. And these women are cashing in. Desperate or business savvy? You decide...
By Rebecca Rampling & Laura Millar, 31/01/2010
Despite businesses going bust and unemployment rising, there's one industry in the UK that's been clawing in the cash over the past 12 months - the sex industry.
Across the nation, recruitment agencies are noticeably lacking in office jobs - but there's no shortage of vacancies for lap dancers and sex chatline workers.
Last year, it was estimated that British men spent a staggering £4.2billion on the country's sex industry - an eight per cent rise on previous years, despite the crushing economic downturn.
The reason for this surge in sexual spending habits? It seems when the going gets tough, men need something to get them going. And it's women who are meeting that demand.
"Going to a lap-dancing club or visiting an escort can be a form of stress release to help men forget about their financial worries," explains sex therapist Nicci Talbot, author of Fast Sex: Great Sex Anytime! Anywhere!
Women going X-rated to make ends meet insist it's as good a way as any for them to earn cash at a time when the nine-to-five is impossible to find. Single mum Hayley Wilson, 23, from Leeds, is one of the 80,000 people in the UK with a kinky career.
A year ago she was working in a factory, producing DIY equipment. Now she talks dirty to strangers on a sex chatline.
Five nights a weeks, after tucking her four-year-old daughter, Kelsey, into bed, she gets to work. For six hours a night, Hayley takes calls from strangers paying premium rates of around 35p a minute for sex talk. Hayley receives half of that fee in her pay packet.
"I applied for everything going before this job. But there was so much competition, I didn't even get an interview," says Hayley. "To be honest, I never dreamed I'd end up doing this for a living."
One of her friends suggested chatline work, after taking it up herself. "The thought of talking dirty to strange men made me feel sick," she says.
But as the bills piled up and her bank balance dwindled, the lure of regular cash was too tempting. After filling in an online form and completing a telephone interview - where she had a chat with a supervisor to assess her telephone skills and answer any questions she had - Hayley was offered a job. The company would provide callers in return for a portion of her earnings.
The next night, she started her first shift. She was given a log-in number to dial, which directed customers to her landline. If she wanted to make big bucks, she had to take as many premium rate calls as she could and keep the men talking for as long as possible.
"It's not something I felt that easy doing," she explains. "The first night I could hardly speak with nerves. I didn't have a clue what to do, or even know if I could say the sort of things they'd expect me to."
Hayley's first time was over in seconds. "I think the caller realised I didn't know what I was doing," she says. "After a bit of heavy breathing, he hung up."
Quick to learn, Hayley now earns around £9 an hour, over £3 more than the minimum wage. She can make up to £60 a shift, earning £300 a week - around £100 more than she was pulling in as a factory worker.
Sounds like easy cash for a few hours of chat? Maybe for some, but Hayley warns she has to stretch more than her imagination to make her money, as many callers make her feel very uncomfortable.
"Some of them have strange fetishes," she explains. "I have to talk about potatoes, or run the bath and pretend to be washing. It can get a bit weird. And some of them want to talk about handcuffs, that sort of thing. I just try to blank it out and carry on."
Her callers aren't all looking for a not-so-cheap thrill either. Some can be threatening, suggesting they know where she lives or that they can see her.
"I know that I'm completely anonymous, but it doesn't stop me worrying," Hayley says. "I just have to remember that I'm in charge and can cut them off."
While some women might be embarrassed about their job, Hayley's family and friends all know what she does for a living.
"Some of them were shocked," she says. "But when I explained why I was doing it, they understood. Now, if people ask, I'll tell them. I'm not ashamed. I earn my own money, I'm not reliant on anyone and I'm not doing anything illegal."
While Hayley panders to her clients' whims to make her money, Ruby Rogers, also known as Mistress Ruby, specialises in dominating them.
"I shout at men, making them feel embarrassed and silly," she smiles. "And if they won't do what I tell them, I spank them."
And Ruby says that since the recession hit, she's seen a rise in bookings. "Stress in men's lives, such as supporting their families and holding down a job, leads them to look for an outlet to release their tensions," she says. "And that's where I come in as a dominatrix."
Of course Ruby, 23, didn't dream of becoming a dominatrix as a young girl, but two years ago she was made redundant from her job as a shop assistant. "I had to find £300 a month to pay my bills and I couldn't get a regular job anywhere," she says.
She was already working as a burlesque dancer some weekends, when a friend told her about a woman who was earning loads of money - as a dominatrix.
"I was in trouble financially. It seemed so easy this woman was earning hundreds of pounds for a day's work," she says. "I decided to give it a try. I needed the money, simple as that."
A few weeks later, she began training with an experienced dominatrix she met through friends. Her course taught her how to be dominant, deal with clients who tried to break the rules, and how to meet their needs. And how to keep safe.
After graduating with top marks, Ruby's "office" became a dungeon in a building that was specially equipped for dominatrices - complete with an array of whips.
For the past year, she's been keeping her own clients in line. The men range from professionals to guys who save up for years to "treat" themselves to one of her whipping sessions, which cost up to £200 an hour.
''The rules are clear - there's no sex involved and the guys are forbidden to touch me," she says. "My room has cameras to ensure my safety and there's always someone there, making sure everything's OK."
Her family have no idea how she makes a living. "I always wanted to be Kylie's backing dancer," she says. "I'm not sure what my gran would think if she knew what I was doing now."
Despite the salary, Ruby, who is single, doesn't see sex work dominating her future.
"I want to set up my own dance company when the economic climate improves," she says. "But until then, I don't think there's anything sleazy about what I do. It's just an alternative therapy for people who need to de-stress."
As well as the cash, Hayley and Ruby insist there are more positives to sex work - from flexible hours to plenty of overtime. "I work from home and choose my own hours," says single mum Hayley. "I don't need to pay for childcare, and if I need extra money for birthdays or holidays, I step up the number of hours I work. It's hard to think of another job that would offer the same benefits. It's not ideal, but for now, it works for me. And I won't apologise for that."
"The first time I left a man's hotel room with a handful of money, I could hardly believe I'd been bought for sex.
It was a world away from the career I'd been building two years before. Then, I'd been working as a successful consultant in a financial recruitment company. Now, instead of selling CVs to execs, I was selling my body.
I'd never dreamt I'd end up working as an escort. But by the summer of 2008, the banks started firing instead of hiring, and business in the recruitment sector ground to a halt. I made my money on commission and knew I'd have to find another job.
After seeing an advert for a hairdressing apprenticeship in a local salon, I made the decision to retrain. But just a few weeks after I began training, they let me go. There wasn't enough cash in the business to support me.
I went to the Jobcentre, put my CV online, and applied for up to 20 jobs a week. But there were so many people trying to find work, I got nowhere. With my £500 rent due and bills adding up to £200 landing at the same time, I started to panic. I confided in a friend, Kate*, about my money worries. She suggested I worked with her as a lap dancer.
I was shocked, but I was desperate, so I decided to give it a go. On my first night, I was incredibly nervous. I tried to go into autopilot, but the men wanted to talk to me. That made things so real - I had to admit to myself what levels I'd sunk to.
The men were a mixture of businessmen and lads on a night out. Thankfully, most of them seemed normal - not fat, old or sleazy. Focusing on the money, I tried to relax.
Soon, I was making around £200 a week for a couple of nights' work, but I was still worried about my financial security.
Then, one night, a regular asked if I'd like to join him for a few drinks at his hotel. He was attractive and we got on well, so I said yes. Then he flashed some money at me. Suddenly, I knew just what he wanted.
Half of me was insulted - how could he think I'd have sex for cash? But the other half was thinking that if I did I could pay my rent.
I liked him. And I needed the money, after all. I decided to do it. We had a few drinks, we chatted, and it felt quite natural to start kissing.
I didn't think about the money until next morning, when he handed over £200. It felt so surreal. The word 'prostitute' flashed through my mind. But I hadn't been standing on a street corner. I'd just made money from spending the night with a man I already knew, who I found attractive.
With the cash I'd be able to eat and pay my bills. As I was leaving the hotel, I felt sleazy. What had I done? I didn't plan to do it again. I told myself it was a one-off.
However, my first client passed on my numbe to a few of his colleagues and I started getting calls from men wanting to pay for my company. I refused at first. But the offer of money was too much to resist. I decided I'd go for dinner and if I found the men attractive, and they seemed like decent people, I'd see where the night took us.
That was a year ago, and since then I've built up a list of 15 regulars I go out with. Sometimes sex isn't even on the agenda - they're just busy men who want companionship.
I'm very aware of my own safety. I'll always meet someone new in public and I tell Kate where I am and who I'm with. And I insist on safe sex. Only a few close friends know what I do. My family would be appalled if they knew the truth, but it won't stop me from doing this.
I don't think anyone should judge my decisions. After all, lots of women have sex with men after being bought dinner and drinks. And lots more let their boyfriends pay their bills and rent. It's my body - I'll do what I want with it.
At the moment, I can make up to £3,000 a week. I can pay my way and I've started saving for a college course to retrain in IT, possibly as a software developer. I'm not going to escort forever. I see it as something that can set me up financially - sex is going to help me beat the recession."
£356million was spent on chatlines last year
Six per cent of men ring X-rated numbers
More than one in 10 men have paid for sex
80,000 people work in the British sex industry
In 2009 unemployment rose by 600,000 in the UK
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALICIA CLARKE HAIR & MAKE-UP: ALISON CHESTERTON AT NEMESIS STYLING: LUCIE CLIFFORD *NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED MIA WEARS: TOP, RIVER ISLAND; JEANS, ASOS; SHOES, PRIMARK RUBY WEARS: TOP, DEBENHAMS; JEANS, DOROTHY PERKINS; SHOES, IDOL AT NEW LOOK HAYLEY WEARS: TOP, RIVER ISLAND; JEANS, DOROTHY PERKINS; PUMPS, NEW LOOK
HAYLEY WEARS: DRESS, RIVER ISLAND; SHOES, PRIMARK RUBY WEARS: DRESS, ASOS; SHOES, IDOL AT NEW LOOK