Source: Blogger.com

The Sexuality of Work

Review of Literature

Economically, strippers are at the complete mercy of their employers. Their line of work, seen as inappropriate and degrading, puts them in a very weak position to start with, in the eyes of society, and with their bosses.

They are in general treated as independent contractors, meaning they have to "pay a stage fee of approximately twenty-five dollars" to dance at a club. 2 At the more expensive clubs, as in parts of San Francisco, some clubs require as much as, " $150 for the privilege of working in a topless bar and then [the dancers] have to tip out on top of that". 2 Tipping out means that the dancers have give a portion of their tips to the other workers in the club, like "bartender, waitresses, bouncers, house mother [stage operator], and DJ" 2 Strippers also have to pay for all the supplies they need for dancing such as, "furnishing tools, in this case music, costumes and transportation"1 At the end of the night strippers can make as little as thirty-five to forty dollars for an eight hour shift. 1 Employers can get away with this because up front the dancers are getting more than the minimum wage, but after all the tip outs and charges from the club the dancers are left with very little. The concept that strippers have to pay their employers to work and on top of that give a percentage of their tips to other employees seems absurd considering that without the dancers the clubs would cease to exist.

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Source: Techfree

Strippers are also controlled economically through a system of fines, that can in some cases use up most of their income. They are also are fired frequently. For example, according to one DJ, at some clubs the owner, "would find any excuse to take money off the girls. For instance a girl comes in five minutes late and that’s fifteen bucks off your pay." 1 This keeps strippers struggling for money, in a sense trapping them in their work because they can never afford to strive for something better. Strippers also can never obtain job security because along with fines, they are fired quite easily, puting them in an even weaker position because they can never demand better working conditions. For example as one stripper says, "I’ve been fired for looking too young…Clubs just fire you! They are really sleazy. You’re on-schedule and on you second day, you have no recourse, you’ve worked for free." 1 It is totally unacceptable that these dancers should not be payed for an honest days work, yet this form of abuse happens frequently because of strippers' position at the fringe of society

The dispensibility of dancers to their employers is a problem that many low wage workers face. It prevents them from improving their working conditions because if they attempt to fight for their rights they are fired.