What drives student interest in sex work in Slovenia?

A recent study has found that one-third of Slovenian students have thought about doing sex work, and the main motivation for that is not financial struggles but curiosity.

Researcher Živa Gornik, who conducted the extensive survey, stresses the importance of platforms such as OnlyFans in the popularisation of the sex industry, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The study, which is part of Gornik's MA thesis on student sex work in Slovenia, shows that being curious about exploring sex work is the No. 1 reason for thinking about doing it, which helps subvert the stereotype of sex work always being a result of pressure, including indirect types of pressure such as financial problems.

Financial struggles were the second most common reason for considering this possibility though.

Nearly 3% of participants said they had done sex work while studying. The data collected as part of the study was based on 955 completed surveys from the student population.

Meanwhile, there are no official national figures, but according to some surveys it is estimated there are about 4,000 people in Slovenia doing sex work.

Mainstreaming of sex work

The fact that students are prepared to talk about their curiosity about sex work in the first place stems from many factors, and one of the key reasons is the mainstreaming of OnlyFans, which has destigmatised sex work to a certain extent. Another major factor is the concept of the "striptease culture", the sexualisation of contemporary life, Gornik, a sociologist and anthropologist who considers herself primarily a sexologist, told the Slovenia Times.

"This 'undressing' or 'revealing' has become part of the game, not only when it comes to seeking attention but also questioning ourselves. The OnlyFans platform consolidated its success during the Covid pandemic, when all of us stayed at home, which also resulted in examining types of our sexual behaviour and experience. Curiosity about these things was front and centre at the time, but the platform also provided a lifeline for all those who lost jobs," she said.

Sexual imagery is becoming more and more common in everyday life also through social media such as Instagram and TikTok. Gornik's study has shown that students find OnlyFans a much more acceptable type of sex work than prostitution.

The latter has been decriminalised in Slovenia for more than two decades, but it is not fully regulated or governed by law. Such work is often associated with abuse, and criminal offences involving exploitation of prostitution are punishable and prosecuted by law.

The participants in Gornik's study not only found OnlyFans a more acceptable but also considered it a safer way of exploring the possibility of performing sex work.

Sex work as gig work

Most who consider doing sex work see it as gig work, a way to earn some additional short-term income. However, the researcher points out that earning money this way is neither easy nor necessarily quick.

"When it comes to OnlyFans the person must dedicate a lot of time to support networks where they advertise their work in addition to creating content. There is truly a lot of work that goes into that," she said, noting that the more the content creator is popular and present on social networks, the more likely they are to earn money from it.

The share of OnlyFans creators in Slovenia has got so large that the country's tax authority decided in 2024 that it will crack down on potentially unregistered earnings made on the platform after securing transaction data for Slovenian creators for the last several years.

According to its figures at the time, several hundred residents of Slovenia were registered as creators on the platform and they made in excess of €10 million combined. However, less than 20% had registered their activities before the warning was issued.

Creators were urged to sort out their paperwork and register any unregistered earnings retroactively. After targeted checks started in early 2025, it became clear that most had ignored this warning as only three people had declared any of their outstanding tax liabilities, and the tax authority began initiating misdemeanour proceedings.

Fear of stigma still present

Despite the mainstreaming of sex work, Gornik has noticed that most Slovenians still find it hard to talk about these issues, let alone ask questions about them. She finds it difficult to believe Slovenian students would be able to talk about sex work publicly, mainly due to the fear of stigma and social exclusion. There is also the possibility of their involvement in sex work negatively affecting their job prospects later in life, she added.

"What we talk about the most in this regard is human trafficking and the pitfalls of sexual violence, which represent a large and negative part of the entire commercial sex sphere. But there is little talk, both in public and private, about people deciding to do sex work, being interested in it or considering it."

During her research so far Gornik has experienced mixed reactions to her own work, which does not surprise her given how marginalised and polarising the topic is. She is aware of the possibility of secondary stigmatisation researchers dedicated to such fields of study face, as they may be accused of doing frivolous work or even become victims of personal attacks.

People are mostly shocked that she is discussing these issues out in the public and some are sceptical when they hear about the actual percentages because they believe sex work is not as prevalent in Slovenian society as the figures indicate.

Public discourse opening up

However, she has sensed a welcome shift taking place in recent years as the public discourse in Slovenia has started to open up to this topic of conversation.

"Sex work is a social fact. It exists, and so it must be talked about. Its factors should be studied and solutions sought. We should listen to the stories and help all those who need help. I find it necessary that we discuss it in a way that raises awareness and not in a way that slings accusations."

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