Andrew Bounds,
A boom in lap dancing clubs has been driven by a ready supply of female workers rather than demand from male punters, according to the most comprehensive research into the industry yet undertaken.
Despite the recession hitting spending in the clubs, there are increasing numbers of new recruits, leading to an earnings squeeze among dancers, the University of Leeds study for the Economic and Social Research Council found.
Teela Sanders, the lead researcher, said dancers valued the job?s flexibility, high earning power and instant payment. But she said wages were being cut as clubs had an incentive to take on dancers. Women pay a ?house fee? of up to ?200 each night to dance as well as 30 per cent commission?and sometimes go home out of pocket.
?The recession has made it a lot worse. It increases the supply of dancers but at the same time decreases custom and decreases spending,? said Sanders. ?The clubs in London, particularly the chains, have remained static. Many others are run on a shoestring.?
Average earnings per shift were ?232, a survey of 197 dancers found. Women said earnings had fallen since they first started dancing when they reported earning an average ?284.
?They call it a race to the bottom,? Sanders said. ?Everything is getting cheaper, dances that were ?50 are down to ?10. ?All our research shows it is the supply of dancers that is fuelling the industry. Dancers are positive about the work. It is flexible and can be well paid. This is a great way to work: it is cash in hand, they have no one bossing them about as an employer,? said Sanders.
However, she said it was also an insecure profession. Though self-employed, few dancers were insured and 30% had been sacked on the spot.
She said many were subject to arbitrary fines for breaching codes of conduct and called for better regulation. ?There are no contracts but strict ways of disciplining women. It leaves them open to exploitation. Some 70% said they came out at least once with no money.?
Women reported being fined up to ?100 for being late, chewing gum or using a mobile phone.
Sanders and colleague Kate Hardy said they found no evidence of the industry being connected to organised prostitution or human trafficking.
However, some dancers said they knew of women who offered sexual favours in return for payment and said private booths encouraged the practice.
An undercover policeman visiting a club in Huddersfield, West Yorks, last year was allegedly propositioned and discovered an underage Romanian girl stripping. The club has been closed and its owner charged with immigration and fraud offences.
However, tighter regulation could cause clubs to go underground, worsening conditions for women, Sanders warned. Under the 2010 Policing and Crime Act they will be licensed in the same way as sex shops and cinemas and councils will be able to limit their number. There are about 300 clubs.
The researchers interviewed club owners, workers and regulators as well as dancers. Most dancers were aged between 22 to 29 but the youngest was 18 and oldest 52. Half were single but 9.5% were married. Only 13.5% had children. A third were students.
There was a clear north-south divide. House fees were typically ?20-?30 in northern clubs and ?80 in the south. A three minute dance in the north cost ?10, in the south about double that.
The research is to be published in full in September while initial findings have now been released.
?The Financial Times Limited 2011