Mutual Assistance Among “Hostesses” Outside of the Social Safety Net During the Pandemic Lockdown
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This article is part of the 30th issue of LEAP — Voices of Youth e-letter. Subscribe now.
Social Support from within “Hostesses” During the Pandemic
To alleviate the detrimental impact of the pandemic on the economy over the last two years, the government has proposed a series of economic relief and revitalization policies, such as the provision of subsidies and low-interest loans. Linked to existing social insurance mechanisms, however, these policies are not available to atypical workers already excluded from the social insurance system.
One of the excluded groups of people are “hostesses”, women who provide entertainment services at nightclubs. The services provided by hostesses are stigmatized, and employer-worker relations in the industry remain legally ambiguous. As a result, many of them do not have social insurance, making it difficult to apply for economic relief subsidies.
In response, a series of mutual-support and crowd fundraising activities were launched by seven activists, including Taipei Entertainment Worker and Hostess Union director Yun-Yun Hu, who once worked as a hostess herself. They have helped nearly 500 hostesses to endure economic hardships brought about by the pandemic.
2020: Economic Hardship of Hostesses Highlighted by the Pandemic
After a nightclub hostess was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April of 2020, adult-entertainment venues, such as nightclubs and dance halls, were placed under an emergency lockdown for more than a month. The containment measure greatly impacted the livelihood of hostesses. Before the establishment of a professional union, Yun-Yun Hu and others posted information relevant to social benefit applications on the Facebook page, “Diary of the Hostess”. They also held several briefings, inviting hostesses who did not know how to apply for relief subsidies to answer their questions in person.
“We discovered the abundance of single mothers after many came with their children.” Hu stated that hostesses don’t usually socialize with each other, and rarely inquire about each other’s private lives. It was during those meetings in person that she got to know the lives of hostesses outside of work.
During that time, they assisted 70 hostesses with their relief-subsidy applications. The process also motivated them to accelerate the formation of a professional union, in hopes of providing basic rights protection for workers of adult entertainment. The union was formally established in June of 2020, and membership recruitment started in December.
Less than a year after formation of the union, the pandemic broke out in Taiwan and a lockdown was enforced across various industries. Adult entertainment venues offering hostess services were shut down for nearly six months. Thus, the union initiated a series of fundraising activities to provide assistance to hostesses, who are often economically disadvantaged yet shoulder the responsibility of being the family breadwinner.
2021: Becoming a Force of Mutual-Support Through Fundraising Efforts
After the entertainment industry was shut down in May of 2021, the Taipei Entertainment Worker and Hostess Union began raising funds and goods publicly on Facebook, and subsequently expanded their fund-raising efforts in collaboration with crowdfunding platforms. They raised nearly NT$2 million (≈ USD$72,000) in four months, and distributed 1,000 boxes of goods to 433 hostesses.
Many people believe that hostesses are highly paid and live a glamorous lifestyle. However, the reality and diverse backgrounds of hostesses have been revealed during the pandemic. According to union statistics, 60 percent of hostesses requiring assistance are single mothers, while 20 percent of them have an elderly family member with chronic diseases. Another 20 percent are estranged from their birth families, have difficulties finding work, or are the sole provider for their families.
During the fundraising event, many people expressed concern about the nightclub working environment. Hu said that the fundraising was rooted in compassion from the public. In the past year, they have actively collaborated with various groups. “Besides the many donors who wanted to remain anonymous, the names of the other donors revealed that 80% of them were women. Many of them were doctors and social workers.”
After the industry was shut down due to the pandemic, seven union members and hostesses worked nonstop for the benefits of all their colleagues. “We would even conduct surveys to find out which brand of formula their babies were drinking, so they wouldn’t have diarrhea by drinking other brands!” Hu said while laughing. At the time, boxes of diapers and baby formula were stacked in the union office. Once, a hypermarket even donated a box-spring mattress after placing an order exceeding a certain amount.
“They really did so much”, said Siena, a long-time mamasan of Japanese-style nightclubs and currently an owner of a Japanese-style bar. In recent years, she has been dedicated to the promotion of nightclub culture with Yun-Yun and her team, and has been a long-term partner of the union. Speaking of the reason she is supportive of the union, she cannot help but praise: “They don’t get paid at all! They work really hard for the whole industry, and I’ve never heard any of them complain!”
“At least, we know your difficulties because we are in the same industry, so you don’t have to go tell someone else about it.” For Hu, that is the simple idea why they initiated this ongoing operation to provide mutual assistance.
Also in This Issue:
From Nightclub Hostess to Union Director: Yun-Yun Hu’s Social Experiment
With a simple hope that nightclub hostesses should live with rights and dignity, Yun-Yun Hu started her social experiment.
Author : Lin Si-hou
Freelance journalist exploring gender and public issues.
