Poverty and the Social Context of Sex Work in Addis Ababa

This book explores the social context of sex work in the city of Addis Ababa. It focuses on the social ties between sex workers and other categories of people: their family members, colleagues and neighbours, considering how these relationships are formed and affected as a result of women’s involvement in sex work. The work makes a clear distinction between the commercial institution of prostitution in Ethiopia and the women who practice it. It argues that sex workers share the same social milieu and value systems of other workers, and that in spite of the severe constraints placed on them as a result of their poverty and working conditions, the women struggle to have social lives and social relevance.