The Plight of ‘Invisible’ Ageing Sex Workers and the Quest for Dignity

One of the most marginalised groups of women, especially in urban areas, are ageing sex workers. They are not only socially marginalised but also occupy a peripheral, less important position in scholarship as well. This is evidenced by the fact that there is scant literature based on empirical studies of their lives. In this working paper, I highlight the way age and gender intersect against the professional baggage of sex work to produce extreme forms of deprivation. The burden of stigma of their erstwhile profession and the scant welfare provisions have an impact on their ageing process. I aim to explain the unique challenges that these women face while ageing. Through a biographic method of research, I have engaged with 5 ageing sex workers who are above 60 years of age and 2 social workers who work with them to understand their lives and the difficulties they face as their bodies age. Bereft of identity cards, bereft of familial kinship networks, they struggle enormously to meet their health care needs. NGO support and philanthropic interventions keep them going, yet much needs to be done by the state and communities.