Table 1 Distribution of demographic characteristics for the three types of female sex workers.
From: Demography and sex work characteristics of female sex workers in India
Type of female sex workers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variable | Variable categories | Street-based (N = 5010) Number (% of N) | Home-based (N = 1499) Number (% of N) | Brothel-based (N = 139) Number (% of N) | Total (N = 6648) Number (% of N) | Chi-square test for trend |
Age group (years) | 16–19 | 409 (8.2) | 233 (15.5) | 28 (20.1) | 670 (10.1) | p < 0.0001 |
20–24 | 1215 (24.3) | 472 (31.5) | 52 (37.4) | 1739 (26.2) | ||
25–29 | 1541 (30.8) | 365 (24.3) | 27 (19.4) | 1933 (29.1) | ||
30–34 | 1087 (21.7) | 251 (16.7) | 18 (12.9) | 1356 (20.4) | ||
35–39 | 538 (10.7) | 124 (8.3) | 12 (8.6) | 674 (10.1) | ||
40–44 | 182 (3.6) | 43 (2.9) | 1 (0.7) | 226 (3.4) | ||
45–49 | 35 (0.7) | 10 (0.7) | 1 (0.7) | 46 (0.7) | ||
50–54 | 3 (0.1) | 1 (0.1) | 0 | 4 (0.1) | ||
Caste* | Forward | 256 (5.1) | 64 (4.3) | 13 (9.4) | 333 (5.0) | p < 0.0001 |
Backward | 1808 (36.1) | 910 (60.7) | 89 (64.0) | 2807 (42.2) | ||
Scheduled | 1946 (38.8) | 381 (25.4) | 23 (16.5) | 2350 (35.3) | ||
Scheduled tribe | 649 (13.0) | 46 (3.1) | 3 (2.2) | 698 (10.5) | ||
Not applicable | 349 (7.0) | 98 (6.5) | 11 (7.9) | 458 (6.9) | ||
Education level | Illiterate | 3851 (76.9) | 1017 (67.8) | 98 (70.5) | 4966 (74.7) | p < 0.0001 |
Primary education (classes I to V) | 862 (17.2) | 318 (21.2) | 27 (19.4) | 1207 (18.2) | ||
More than primary education | 297 (5.9) | 164 (10.9) | 14 (10.1) | 475 (7.1) | ||
Marital status† | Currently married | 2280 (45.5) | 394 (26.3) | 24 (17.3) | 2698 (40.6) | p < 0.0001 |
Separated | 1539 (30.7) | 347 (23.1) | 37 (26.6) | 1923 (28.9) | ||
Divorced | 82 (1.6) | 35 (2.3) | 1 (0.7) | 118 (1.8) | ||
Widowed | 642 (12.8) | 139 (9.3) | 11 (7.9) | 792 (11.9) | ||
Never married | 467 (9.3) | 584 (39.0) | 66 (47.5) | 1117 (16.8) | ||
Number of living children | None | 890 (17.8) | 585 (39.0) | 71 (51.1) | 1546 (23.3) | p < 0.0001 |
1 | 1035 (20.7) | 275 (18.3) | 23 (16.5) | 1333 (20.1) | ||
2 | 1684 (33.6) | 349 (23.3) | 25 (18.0) | 2058 (31.0) | ||
>2 | 1401 (28.0) | 290 (19.3) | 20 (14.4) | 1711 (25.7) | ||