ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how strip clubs operate in relation to dancers, beginning with the multiple ways in which value and profit is extracted from them. It discusses the dancer's status as self-employed independent contractors and the disciplinary mechanisms which are used to control the dancers such as house fees, commission and fines. The chapter describes the physical conditions of the clubs, which with notable exceptions tend to be unsatisfactory and, at times, dangerous. It explains the main mechanisms of control and methods of extraction of value that make up the 'myth of self-employment' in the form of working hours, house fees and fines. This chapter analyses that have led to the quantitative growth of clubs and produced the 'race to the bottom' by encouraging clubs to rota as many women as possible, increasing competition between dancers. It explores the changing conditions of work to the internal operations of the club that can account for the expansion of the industry.
