title: Factors associated with women's entry into the sex industry: findings from interviews conducted with female sex workers in Chinese detention centres.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To date, limited research has been conducted to identify the personal and contextual factors that contribute to women's entry into the sex industry in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  The reasons for and factors associated with voluntary entry into the sex industry were explored through in-depth interviews conducted with 38 Chinese women who were held in detention centres for selling sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women's personal accounts reveal that entry into sex work is influenced by life aspirations, family responsibilities and social connections, which facilitate mobility to a new urban environment in which they encounter opportunities and challenges. Findings highlight the complex interactions between individual and contextual factors in relation to women's entry into sex work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a rapidly developing country such as China, entry into sex work may appeal to women of low socioeconomic status, particularly young women who have recently migrated to urban areas. For members of this mobile and relatively disadvantaged population, comprehensive social services and support are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aggleton
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
authors.forename: Jiehui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Wit