Tiffany smoothed her hair in the bathroom mirror and took off her wedding ring. Little knots were tightening in her stomach. The former civil servant climbed into the car next to her husband, who dropped her off near a plush hotel in Cardiff.
She slipped into the hotel bar, weaving through the hum of conversation and piano music, and spotted the man she had been messaging. He too appeared nervous. She left the hotel later that evening feeling relieved. Tiffany is one of a wave of women who, driven in part by the darkening U. There are many reasons that people start selling sex, from the desire to secure financial independence to exploitation by criminal gangs. But there is also a more straightforward explanation: with inflation at 11 per cent, the country appears to be entering a prolonged recession, cementing a cost of living crisis that has households braced for severe hardship.
At a time when more women appear to be selling sex, this economic outlook is also reducing demand, creating a more dangerous environment for those working in the sector as they take more risks to make ends meet. This is something felt by those who work indoors, from home or hotels with often wealthier customers, as well as women who solicit on the street. The increase in women turning to sex work is adding new urgency to the political debate in the U.
Campaigners say it is more important than ever to review laws that govern the industry, although there is a split between those who want to fully decriminalize it and those who want to outlaw the buying of sex.
Tiffany first dabbled in sex work six years ago to pay off a credit card bill. A severe deterioration in his mental health this year means he is unable to work. Tiffany, who is in her 30s, is his full-time carer. And with interest rates rising, Tiffany is anxious about their fixed-term mortgage deal coming to an end.
