The sex work industry has evolved with the emergence of internet marketing, but little research examines sex workers who advertise online (i.e., online sex workers). This study is based on semi-structured interviews conducted in Southern California in 2014, with twenty-seven female online sex workers who provide mainstream sexual services to a male clientele. It focuses on sex workers’ perceptions of exit from sex work, and examines factors related to exit intentions, including relationships with sex work consumers, other sex workers, friends, family, and intimate partners (i.e., differential association), definitions of sex work, the perceived benefits and costs of sex work (i.e., differential reinforcement), and the prominence of and commitment to the sex worker identity. Participants varied in their perceptions of exit meaning, desirability, and feasibility. Of the 27 participants, 16 intended to exit sex work within 5 years whereas 11 had no such intentions. The study tested hypotheses informed by social learning theory in criminology and identity theory in social psychology. Support was found for most hypotheses, except those regarding the relation of differential association to other factors. In each instance, some cases deviated from the expected pattern, indicating that an expanded theoretical model is needed to explain exit from sex work
