Considering Every Facet of the Issue of Prostitution

The sex work industry has changed and is changing over the years, similar to controversial issues such as, gay rights and abortion. Hence, there will never be a ‘black and white’ solution due to the distinct views of what prostitution entails versus what the law intends to do about it. Decriminalization is the removal of criminal penalties from an act formerly defined as crime (Weitzer, 2012, P: 49). Prostitution should be decriminalized so the government can regulate public safety and the safety of sex workers. This paper will also, examine how the government can regulate the prostitution business and reinforce the feminist ideology. In effort to best present my arguments this paper will be divided into different paragraphs, whereby each paragraph presents a different argument of why

Since the beginning of time prostitution has been a part of our world 's culture, and it is said that it is the world 's oldest profession. Man has always been equally participated and felt the need to pay for services of a sexual nature since the beginning of time, whether it was legal or not. During 19th century woman who belonged to lower class family might have worked in order to support her family, in harsh times. During that time as farther away a woman moved from the mother and home, the lower her status became. Prostitution was clearly seen as disrespectful; the prostitute was at the bottom of society’s status chain. “During the late 19th- and early 20th century, the nature of society forced the working class women of Eau Claire to take advantage of any means to support themselves, including prostitution. Each woman had to decide herself which work option best supported her financially.”(Schaar.A) The wages these women earned were unbelievably low, and at times as much as 80% lower than the wages men earned. Back in those days there weren’t many jobs

Prostitution is known to many as “the oldest occupation”, but when examined, the harsh reality of the sex industry is exposed and it is visible that prostitution is more of a form of oppression than it is a profession. The oldest occupation has many names: prostitute, streetwalker, hooker, escort. These types of terms are just examples of how the women who participate in this industry are reduced to labels and objectified. This social oppression is met with physical violence among sex workers, making it the most dangerous profession in human history. If it is so violent and horrible to participate in though, then why has it existed for all of these centuries? The answer is that the entire

Feminists are concerned whether or not a prostitute controls her own sexual identity. Others believe prostitution is degrading, and sexual slavery towards woman while someone like Martha Nussbaum, believe its not threatening a woman anymore more than any other paid job. Where do you stand when it comes to prostitution? Personally I’m concerned with the moral factors and the harm it brings to women both physically and mentally. Throughout this paper I will examine the issues and questions which arise from Nussbaum’s paper, “Whether From Reason or Prejudice: Taking Money for Bodily Service” in order to help come to a conclusion on whether or not prostitution is something society should control through the use of the criminal law.

While proponents of prostitution legalization claim it promotes women’s independence and autonomy, opponents argue that it exploits and objectifies women. In terms of putting ideology into practice, criminalization fails. The neoconservative ideology behind criminalization implies that women are unfit to make their own decisions about their sexuality. Under criminalization in the United States, females are arrested at much higher rates than males, despite the fact that when including johns, pimps, and brothel owners, there are probably more men involved in the practice (McKim 1). Additionally, every state (except some parts of Nevada) in the U.S. criminalizes women who sell sex, but only half of those states also have laws criminalizing men who buy sex (Mathieson 374). This discriminatory enforcement of prostitution laws undermines the gender equality this country is trying to achieve. The legalization and regulation of prostitution argues that the best way to promote women’s autonomy is by allowing them to take control of their own bodies and choose their own profession. Due to the imbalance between men and women within the sex trade, legalization advocates support allowing the exchange of sexual services for money between consenting adults. It is a “victimless crime;” however the question remains whether it perpetuates a culture of objectification of women.

The idea of prostitution engenders conflict of morality and constitutional rights and freedom. Many perceive the bartering of sex as a crime and some even view it as a form of sexual abuse (Klinger). Extremists have gone so far as to claim that prostitution is “indistinguishable” from sex trafficking. It is easy to see where the confusion stems from but prostitution and sex trafficking are two entirely different things. Prostitution is sex in return for compensation of some form while sex trafficking is the purchase, the sale and the transfer of a human for commercial sex and is often considered to be a modern day form of slavery (ProCon.org). The Prostitutes’ Education Network stated in its article “Prostitution Act of 1996”, that prostitution is merely a service like every other in which people are selling and exchanging their skills and talents for money.

The prostitution lifestyle has come under debate on whether it should be legal or not. The lifestyle has gotten an immensely horrific reputation due to the aspects of “The Game” or “The Life”. This has been caused by horror stories and slang terms like exit fee, meaning an unattainable amount of money being placed as a ransom of sort on a sex workers freedom. This isn’t the case for all tales of prostitution as some are freelance women who employ themselves and have no abusive man to answer too, called Renegades. Many of these women have become prostitutes for reasons like poverty, the so-called “easy” money, and being “turned out”, which is being forced into the life. Other terms like “Johns” or “Tricks” refer to the clientele which keep the oldest profession alive. The client base has been cited as saying that they partake in prostitution because they lack time for real relationships, size insecurities, and have intense sexual urges. These reasons have given many causes to both side of the argument of decriminalization. Despite the many

America’s perception of the sex industry is oddly backwards. We allow pornographic films and strippers, but we do not allow women to work in the sex industry. Women should be allowed to make their own decisions for the career or job they enjoy working. A law that prohibits them doing so is an example of taking away their fundamental rights. Moreover, this increases the risk of street prostitution that makes it more susceptible to diseases such as, HIV and AIDS (Sonntag, 2009). It is essential that if prostitutes are allowed to work, there should be management and responsibilities, but prostitutes should have their own freedom of

Commercial sex is a site of political contest and judgment. In various cultures throughout the world, women are depicted as sexually passive, ascribing to patriarchal ideals of power. A popular portrayal of female sex workers -- particularly those in non-Western countries-- is that of brutalized victims that were coerced and trafficked into the industry. While this narrative is accurate in some instances, all sex work is not homogenous. Many women, who migrate to participate in sex work, do so as a response to limited economic opportunities. By adhering to this notion of sex trafficking, it discredits these women of their agency and autonomy, reducing them to victims of sexual abuse rather than labor exploitation. In her book, Cosmopolitan

As long as both parties give consent, the law should not prohibit something that does not pose any direct threats to society. They also contend that if the worry over prostitution is about patriarchy being enforced, then “patriarchal conditions of the control of resources should not ordinarily be fought by interfering with sexual activity between consenting adults, even when tainted by hegemonic institutions, because that is both an ineffective and an intrusive way to fight hegemony” (71). Issues involving patriarchy will not be indirectly solved through the abolition of prostitution. Being forced into prostitution is a different situation, but if someone is willing to sell to ready-to-pay customers, then it should be their decision, and they should not have to deal with fear of the

“I originally intended to write in defense of legalizing prostitution, but hindsight has made me realize that I cannot defend a profession that dehumanizes its workers.” Tlatenchi, Fredy. "Prostitution Should Not Be Legalized." The Sundial. N.p., 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 07 Sept. 2015. The statement above would lead the author’s readers to believe that prostitution if legal would be no different than it is now, shameful, dangerous, disease ridden and exploitation filled. Prostitution has been around for some time, given it is referred to as the world’s oldest profession. Why is it then, if still illegal, do so many continue their sex work? Desperation? Empowerment? Force? Lack of a moral compass? In

In a study performed by Koken (2012), the researcher approaches prostitution as a form of paid labor that women may choose to engage in under circumstances ranging from the luxurious to the destitute. Results from the study showed that women articulated feelings of pride about their work, their body, and their ability to use sex work

Many people advocate for the decriminalization of sex work, because full legalization would put strict guidelines in place, which include frequent visits to a physician to guarantee that the worker is free of any STDs and a required license in order to sell sex (Hayes-Smith, Shekarkhar). By the same token, Klinger states “the best choice for women is the choice that the individual woman makes for herself” (16), in regards to the legalization of prostitution and the potential restriction that may be put in place. It is absolutely the woman’s choice to become involved in this profession, however, it should not be left solely up to her when deciding how to go about practicing prostitution. As with any other profession or business, there should be laws in place

Prostitution is often referred to as the world’s oldest profession, and yet, it is also one of the most controversial. Utilizing multiple perspectives to understand certain issues may aid in the creating strategies for equality (Levan, “Unit 1”, 10). Different feminist theories have varying opinions regarding prostitution, and this paper will attempt to address the concerns that each framework brings in order to promote justice.

Prostitution is a profession that has been around for thousands of years despite being a controversial topic in many parts of the world. In the modern world, the ethics of prostitution have been debated with many people viewing the profession as immoral. Prostitution is an exploitative and harmful profession for the sex workers. Since women account for a majority of those who engage in prostitution, these negative impacts affect women more. Also, prostitution is a gendered institution that strengthens and