Can People Attitudes On The Legal Status Of Prostitution Be Shaped By Media Representation? Essay

Prostitution, sometimes referred to as “the world’s oldest profession” (Henslin, pg. 54), is defined by James M. Henslin as “the renting of one’s body for sexual purposes” (pg. 54). This arrangement, though illegal and socially deviant in most parts of the world, exists universally in many different forms (pg. 54). As a matter of fact, types of prostitutes range greatly in variety from call girls – who are said to be “the elite of prostitutes” (pg. 58), to streetwalkers – “who have the lowest status among prostitutes” (pg. 58), to sugar babies -young, physically attractive women who provide “rich, older men” (Kitchener, par.4) “…with attention (and sex) in exchange for the finer things in life” (par. 4).

Prostitution is a controversial issue that has been around since the beginning of time and has recently became a major problem in today’s society. Prostitution is defined as the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. Prostitution is often times referred to as “the oldest profession in the business”. It is prohibited in several countries, the United States included, though in some countries it is accepted and is legal in many others. Today, prostitution is so controversial because of the number of youth involved in it. Those who oppose prostitution are against it because it endangers a big portion of women with diseases and can also be considered as a form of slavery. Due to the fact that prostitution increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, while also destroying the image of areas it has heavily polluted, along with the morality of the women involved in it, it is seen as a practice that needs to be done away with, or mandated by the government.

In the book “Street Sex Work and Canadian Cities: Resisting a Dangerous Order” by Shawna Ferris, she discusses the influence of mainstream media representation of street workers on the ever-grown urbanized population. Across the country, media sources promote an anti-prostitution bias and incorporate images and stories that portray sex workers as a nuisance to society. A study was that was conducted by Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot, Rosalind A. Sydie, and Catherine Krull, in regards to media related-news on prostitutes between 1981 and 1995 in Canadian newspapers discovered that their themes were all inter-connected. “There were four themes that were most prevalent in the years under review: nuisance, child-abuse, violence, and non-Western prostitution.”

Judith Walkowitz’s book Prostitution and Victorian Society: Women, Class, and the State, deals with the social and economic impact that prostitution had on English society in the mid to late 19th century. Throughout her piece Walkowitz illustrates the plight of women who are in the prostitution field and that are working the streets throughout England. She starts with the background of most of the prostitutes in Victorian England then talks about the Contagious Disease Act in 1864 that attempted to curb the venereal diseases being spread by prostitutes. Walkowitz also discusses two specific cities in England that prostitution was a ‘social evil’, Southampton and Plymouth, where the repeal campaigns were successful.

It is rather odd to think that prostitution, which is considered to be the world’s oldest profession, would be illegal and harmful in nature. The issue of legalizing prostitution has entered public conversation around the world, which is severely divided. Many, like myself, consider prostitution to be a victimless crime. Despite such opposition to legalizing prostitution, many argue that legalizing it would result in decreased morality issues, increase the economic activity in the United States, and help decrease the number of sexually transmitted diseases among both prostitutes and those who patronize them,

Having prostitution legalized, can be interpreted as giving the impression that selling your body is an appropriate career option, which is, to some, ethically wrong – leading to some negative public opinion (Raymond, 2003).

Women involved in street prostitution are subjected to 'routine' violence and in the last 7 years, there have been unresolved murders and suspicious deaths, (Women's Support Project 2001). Historically, policing practices have been 'heavy-handed' and local government has sought to limit the spread of 'indoor' prostitution. This is in contrast to the population of 'indoor' prostitution in Edinburgh, which is approximately (90%) with only around 50 women involved in street prostitution, the proportion of intravenous drug users is also reportedly lower (Mackay, F & Schaap, A 2000). In England and Wales between 1989 and 1995 there were 1,700 convictions of young people under 18 for offences relating to prostitution with a further 2,300 cautions issued.

Sexual favours in return for money, just the thought of this has people cringing, although laws have deemed to move forward with the idea of prostitution it seems although socially there has not been much progress. The idea of prostitution still scares, or one could even go as far to say it disgusts people. The lack of knowledge and awareness of the details of sex work create this ongoing hate towards sex work, which continues to stigmatize sex workers. Regardless of changing laws, regardless of changing policies, why is it that sex workers are still afraid to proudly announce that their job is in fact the job of a sex worker? Unfortunately, it seems as though the idea of sex work that seems to be such a terrible one is not what bothers sex workers the most, it is the social misconception of what sex work is like that leads these individuals to feel highly stigmatized (Van der Meulen and Redwood, 2013). The primary harm for of prostitution seems to be the stigma against prostitution, women involved in prostitution are considered socially invisible as full human beings (Farley, 2004). Why is it that our changing and progressing laws are still unable to remove this stigma from the lives of sex workers? This paper will argue that prostitution laws continue to produce stigma around sex work. It will argue this through revisiting the historical laws, examining present laws and ongoing laws at this time.

Prostitution, as stated by Flemming, is known as a form of sexual activity, a kind of sexual style or category, and a form of economic activity, a way of making a living through the provisions of certain services, by behaving in accordance with, or falling into such a category (39). This definition, though, is controversial. While conducting research for this project, we found that most topics regarding prostitution and its affiliates were controversial. Each author gave a differing interpretation for the same data. Due to this, our project centered on the female prostitutes, even though there is evidence of male prostitutes.

The events and developments outlined above provide the backdrop to the recent legislative changes and provide a context for understanding the strength of the opposition to prostitution law reform. The last ten years have seen community fears being regularly challenged by attempts to debunk the mythology surrounding prostitution, with increasing numbers of books and articles profiling sex workers’ lives More recently, individual sex workers have begun penning their own accounts while the 15-year campaign for prostitution law reform saw a plethora of interview-based articles in glossy magazines (for example, “The Oldest Profession”, More, May 1987; “The Big Sleazy: How they Sell Sex in Auckland”, Metro, November 1988). Crimes involving sex workers

Prior to defining the methodology employed for this research, hypothesised answers are set for the research question ‘Can people attitudes on the legal status of prostitution be shaped by media representation?’. The hypothesis to question is posited as ‘an individual with less knowledge on the subject (i.e. prostitution and its legality issues) is probably influenced by media on his or her attitude towards prostitution’.

One of the oldest legal debates comes from one of the world's oldest profession, prostitution, there is no denying that the sex industry has taken international dimensions and is recognized as an economic motor for many countries. As countries around the world debate the merits of legalizing or at least decriminalizing prostitution. The following questions should be addressed. Would legalization reduce some of the inequalities and abuse suffered by the women involved? On the other hand, by legitimizing prostitution, would society reverse decades of work to promote human rights and improve the status of women? On the surface, this looks like a rehashing of a timeless debate. However, it is not. The question is no longer about

The legal definition of prostitution has recently expanded in many Australian jurisdictions to encompass voyeuristic practices as well as non-monetary exchanges. Prostitution laws now make inclusions for massage parlours, phone sex and computer sex. Sullivan’s study into the politics of the sex industry in Australia since 1945, found that due to the shifts in sexual culture there have been discursive changes in society’s’ view of what constitutes as prostitution and what signifies as deviant sexual behaviour. Post war culture accentuated sexuality as the source of individual uniqueness, later progressing into the ideals of equality and mutuality between the sexes thus producing our sexual culture, as we know it today.

The topic of prostitution has been widely debated across history. While many see working as a prostitute as a viable career option and a right that all legal consenting adults should have, many other see it as a dangerous and degrading profession that creates both a sexualized and crime-breeding environment. The governments of Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the United States have all generally taken stances that address prostitution in strict manner. While the approaches by which the US, the UK, and Scotland do respond to prostitution are quite different, all three governments seem to share a similar desire---to maintain the safety of the general public. This concern for the safety of each country 's citizens can be seen through the

Prostitution is the act of engaging in sexual activity for financial gain. It is described as one of the oldest profession and one of the most controversial issues in the modern society. In the ancient world, prostitution was allowed as part of religious traditions in some cultures such as Greek where prostitutes were dedicated to gods. Today prostitution has become more open, and some countries such as Bulgaria and Netherlands have legalized the practice. In the recent past, ethics of prostitution have been debated with many people claiming that it is morally wrong. However, like all other controversial practices, prostitution has continued to thrive in the society as evidenced by recent headlines. In this paper, I will argue that prostitution is not morally permissible despite being around for thousands of years. Prostitution is an immoral transaction that has brought many negative impacts such as community policy issues, health issues, and religious issues.