A Reflexive Account of Researching Cisgender Women Sex Workers in Kolkata

This chapter proposes critical reflexivity as an effective tool for mitigating the power inequalities that hinder the ability of sex work researchers from establishing rapport and relationships of trust with women sex workers. The author provides an in-depth reflexive account of the challenges she faced while conducting ethnographic field research among women sex workers in Kolkata, India. The author describes her motivation for doing social work research on women sex workers and her difficulties gaining entry to sex worker communities via non-governmental organization (NGO) and community-based organization (CBO) gatekeepers. The author’s socio-economic position, gender, and marital status impacted her relationship with authority figures and her interlocutors in the field. She also encountered courtesy stigma and parental concerns for her safety when she traveled to meet women sex workers at public solicitation sites, in brothels, or in their homes. The chapter thus sheds light on the sources of stigma and risks shared by all women in India, regardless of their involvement in sex work.