Life, living, and sex work in Vienna, Austria - Street Spirit
Until a few years ago, the corner of Linzer Strasse and Wissgrillgasse was Anna’s workplace. It was there, just past the tobacconists, that she waited for customers. “I would go to a cheap hotel with clients,” says this woman from Vienna, who has been a sex worker for 15 years. “The owners just...
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“I would go to a cheap hotel with clients,” says this woman from Vienna, who has been a sex worker for 15 years. “The owners just took money for the room.” The client would pay. Anna was not required to give any of her income to anyone. When the weather was cold, she could heat herself up at the hotel and there was always someone there if she had problems. Anna worked for herself: “The girls working in Linzer Strasse came and went as they pleased. We agreed on the prices.” Anyone could ask more, but no-one could ask for less.
And these women had no boss. Working for yourself is, for many women, one reason they prefer working on the streets to working in various kinds of brothels. They do not have rent to pay, are not tied to any working hours and do not have to hand over any money. Unlike in brothels, where it is customary to have long conversations at the bar and to consume alcohol, contact time with clients on the streets is short. “Mostly it takes no more than ten or fifteen minutes,” Anna says.
