Paper short abstract:

In Japan, single female sex workers are doubly marginalized due to their marital status and occupations, while sex work offers single women a chance of independence. This paper explores the state of being single based on the view offered by single sex workers who seek for alternative ways of life.

Paper long abstract:

The outcome of 4 years of ethnographic research at a S/M club in Tokyo Japan reveals that 30 out of 32 workers are single (defined here as those who with no spouse, either divorcees or unmarried). However, there is no "single" explanation for them being single or working for the club. For instance, while the aim of some workers is to secure the income, others come to the club seeking for new sexual possibilities. Accordingly, their experiences of being single are diverse, influenced by their current social statuses and previous ways of living. Nevertheless, every worker struggles to achieve a productive life, which is often different from the one defined by conventional belief. In a way, those women delve into the questions of what is being single and how to live single more seriously than others, as they have already taken action toward establishing their lives without someone's help. Therefore, there must be a lesson to be learnt from those single female sex workers who are often believed to be put in a marginalized position in society.

Focusing on five single workers, this paper explores how each worker lives single and understands being single, based on her point of view. Finally, based on the findings, this paper reexamines the essence of being single in the changing city of Tokyo.