Poor women can face stigmas about indolence, moral turpitude, and substance abuse. This stigmatized condition includes female sex workers, who live and work in situations that exacerbate impoverishment and bring societal exclusion and shame. We situate our arguments at the nexus of poverty and stigma and examine the value of identity formation and reformation in the context of female sex workers in India. These women face restrictions to meet basic needs and remain in the profession despite significant challenges. Our study reveals five identity pathways in their collective consciousness: protector, sacred, commoditized, provider, and eudaimonic/self-acceptance. They come together as themes that reflect these women's lived experiences who were forced to endure systemic violence in relative silence. We use and advance arguments provided by Hill, Ozanne, and Viswanathan and their various colleagues to frame our current understanding of their plight. We contribute to theory by revealing that these identities have positive consequences for personal reconfiguration under conditions of vulnerability. Finally, our results indicate that public policy should recognize the value of self-identities that support resistance in a marginalized marketplace. Sensitizing stakeholders, including policy makers, to destigmatization may also help sex workers gain the courage of their convictions to leave the profession.

贫穷的女性可能会因懒惰、道德败坏和滥用药物而受到污名化。这种被污名化的状况包括女性性工作者，她们在加剧贫困并带来社会排斥和耻辱的情况下生活和工作。我们将我们的论点放在贫困和耻辱之间的关系上，并在印度女性性工作者的背景下研究身份形成和改革的价值。这些妇女在满足基本需求方面面临限制，尽管面临重大挑战，但仍留在该行业。我们的研究揭示了他们集体意识中的五种身份途径：保护者、神圣、商品化、提供者和 eudaimonic/自我接受。它们汇集在一起​​成为反映这些被迫在相对沉默中忍受系统性暴力的妇女的生活经历的主题。我们使用并推进 Hill 提供的论点，Ozanne 和 Viswanathan 以及他们不同的同事来构建我们目前对他们困境的理解。我们通过揭示这些身份对脆弱条件下的个人重新配置产生积极影响来为理论做出贡献。最后，我们的结果表明，公共政策应该认识到支持边缘化市场中抵抗的自我认同的价值。让包括政策制定者在内的利益相关者意识到去污名化也可能有助于性工作者获得离开该行业的信念的勇气。我们的结果表明，公共政策应该认识到支持边缘化市场中抵抗的自我认同的价值。让包括政策制定者在内的利益相关者意识到去污名化也可能有助于性工作者获得离开该行业的信念的勇气。我们的结果表明，公共政策应该认识到支持边缘化市场中抵抗的自我认同的价值。让包括政策制定者在内的利益相关者意识到去污名化也可能有助于性工作者获得离开该行业的信念的勇气。