Dr Jessica Simpson

Department of Sociology

I completed my PhD in Sociology in December 2019 which looked at working-class women’s transitions through HE in the UK and into the graduate labour markets. I focused specifically on students working in the sex industry and compared their experiences to students working in ‘mainstream’ hospitality jobs. I am now in the process of turning my methodology chapter into a journal article entitled: ‘A question of research ethics or reputation management? Students, sex work and the neoliberal university’ where I discuss how my PhD research was blocked, and women’s voices were silenced, by universities seeking to avoid association with the topic. Based on my first analysis chapter, I am also writing a second article with the preliminary title: ‘Degrees on the side?’ where I highlight the ‘new’ ways that students are engaging with university in response to the increased neoliberalisation of HE and employment. For example, students ranged from having side-gigs to fund their degree, to those who had degrees on the side to fund alternative, precarious careers. More broadly, my research interests lie in feminist research methodologies and in redressing social inequalities.