Prostitution As A Dominant Figure

Prostitution, also referred to as “the oldest profession,” has always been a controversial and challenging social issue. It is practiced in many different forms including: call girls, convention prostitutes, apartment prostitutes, hotel prostitutes, house prostitutes, bar girls, streetwalkers, and parking lot lizards (). Civilizations such as the Samarians, and countries including Morocco and parts of India engaged in a form of prostitution known as temple prostitution. Temple prostitution is based on the belief that “generative activity of human beings possessed a mysterious and sacred influence in promoting the fertility of nature” (Clarkson). In other civilizations, such as the Roman and Byzantine Empires, prostitution was looked upon as less of a religious ceremony, and more of a sin practiced by “women of evil life” (ProCon.org). Today those differentiating view are still present in modern society, but there are also new ideologies surrounding the everlasting presence of prostitution. This Essay will use the Symbolic Interactionism Theory to identify those new ideologies, and evaluate the meaning of prostitution within three relationship: the husband and wife, the Call girl and client, and the Pimp and the sex trafficking victim.

Abel, Gillian, et al. Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers fight for decriminalisation. Policy Press, 2010. Part two: Implementation and impact of the Prostitution Reform Act (2003): the first five years: Review of the PRA

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,

“Prostitution is one of the worlds oldest professions” (Kipling 1) and still has quiet a relevance in today’s society. However, unlike this primitive profession, a not-so-old debate is whether or not the United States should legalize prostitution. Prostitution is seen from many different viewpoints and although there is clear evidence of the damage that it puts on society, along with tarnishing the morals of Americans. Concerning America and its people, prostitution should not be legalized in any way.

(Jacobin, 2013). Prostitution is then commonly labelled amongst the low-lifes of society, such as alcoholics and thieves. It is ironic that prostitution, an act of consent from both parties involved, are categorized with those who actually harm and steal from others. Criminalizing sex workers in the United States was implemented at the same time there was the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920’s (Grant, 2013). Both industries faced legal battles and underground operations to continue to boom today, but unlike alcohol, prostitution was never legalized. The laws for prostitution has hardly changed since then, and these outdated laws reflect an impermeable pattern of controlling what a woman can do with her body, despite changing times that are supposed to promote acceptance of liberal sexuality. How people view prostitution as a crime (but not

In recent articles and news reports in the United States, many people are debating if Prostitution should be legalized or remain illegal. A lot of women are driven to prostitution to support their family or to satisfy their sex drive. There are a lot of comments made about prostitution on whether prostitution is considered a job or an sex offense to women. Many people don’t agree with Prostitution being considered a job because it is disrespectful to women, or some people see it as a way of support especially when they are the only family provider. But some people don’t understand that if Prostitution is Legalized that gives the sex industry a gateway to expand. In addition The United States Government should not legalize prostitution because

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.

“The demand is the result of a simple biological appetite. When all other sources of gratification fail, due to defects of person or circumstance, prostitution can be relied upon to furnish relief” (Davis, 753). Prostitution in a latent sense saves marriages and allows men to fulfill their sexual desires. “Prostitution embraces an economic relation, and is naturally connected with the entire system of economic forces” (Davis, 749). One societal function that prostitution fills is a release for those who desire the prostitute (latent) and a source of income for the prostitute (manifest).

Prostitution is currently an illegal act that has existed for centuries in the United States of America. Throughout the history of prostitution, this act has been endlessly evolving; however, the basic terms of prostitution in which a person engages in sexual activity with another being for a payment has remained constant. It seems apparent that a stigma is attached to the prostitution industry involving participants from both sides. In fact, people possessing negative judgments toward prostitution are highly accepted and this is where the majority of people stand on this issue. Unfortunately, many people don’t understand the entirety of the prostitution industry, as this business in one of the most complex occupations in the world. According to the FBI, prostitution is the third largest criminal enterprise and is solely the fastest-growing business of organized crime in the country (Hill & Walker-Rodriguez, 2011, p. 1). With this being said, a change within the framework of prostitution must be met to combat the dangers presented. Presently, prostitution is illegal in the confines of the United States of America, with the exception of eight counties within the state of Nevada. The current solution to this countrywide problem is placing a ban on prostitution. However, it has been made apparent that outlawing prostitution has nearly no effect on diminishing the presence of this illegal activity. In fact, a grant of $44 million was administered to sixteen cities

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.

Prostitution, in a basic sense, is the act of receiving a payment, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for engaging in sexual activities. Within the article, “Legalizing Prostitution: Should prostitution be legal?” it denotes that this controversial occupation has been referred to as the world’s oldest profession. The statement’s truth is questionable, but it is undeniable that women, and men, have been prostituting themselves for centuries. Long ago, strong religious beliefs were the main reason that prostitution had been frowned upon, or outlawed altogether. In modern times, almost every state within our country has criminalized prostitution, with the exception of Nevada and Rhode Island. Within this thought-provoking article, it makes several indisputable points regarding the benefits of legalizing this act, which could be more benevolent than many might think.

Weitzer explains that legalization of prostitution would require some regulation such as, “vetting and licensing business owners, registering workers, zoning street prostitution, mandatory medical exams, special business taxes, or officials’ periodic site visits and inspections of legal establishments” (22). If prostitution was legalized it could create numerous jobs such as doctors, nurses, and inspectors. It could also raise money by businesses purchasing licenses and paying taxes.

Regarding the mortality rate of sex workers, “One study found that workplace murder risk is 51 times greater [for prostitutes] than for the next most dangerous profession which is operating a liquor store” (Dir. J. K. Wasson and J. Wells). Because prostitution is ultimately seen as a consensual profession, some may interpret this information with indifference, believing that the sex workers were willing participants. More often than not, however, sex workers are being coerced into the industry by some form of force; leading them to be exploited for physical and economic gain. In order to convince someone that the prostitution industry influences the victimization of women, I would need to counteract the notions endowed onto us by society that lead people to believe that prostitution is a fair system. Ethnomethodology, Symbolic interaction, and conflict theory have contributed to the the false impression of sex workers endorsed by the mainstream.

In terms of sociology, Prostitution is a way for an individual to maximize their monetary intake or in other words “benefits” by selling the thing that they have readily, their bodies. In other words, it is the act or practice of participating in promiscuous sexual activity especially for money. Prostitution has been in existence for ages, going back to the Byzantine, Roman, Greek, and Egyptian Empires. Ironically, the ancient religions of those eras dealt with the needs of the group and consequently developed protocols for dealing with sexual relations that have propagated throughout time to the modern era. As a result, prostitution is not about to disappear anytime soon, despite relatively recent local laws. Also throughout centuries,

Before I entered this class, my imagination about what sociology is wasn’t of what it came to be after this class ended. First of all, before coming to this class, I didn’t know that prostitution was a social problem. I understand that being a prostitute is a sin, however I don’t think that a person should be punished by a society for being a prostitute. In other words, I thought that if a person is making money on his or her own body, it wouldn’t be a societal problem. Coming in this class, I have the knowledge that gay, lesbians or any other sexual orientation that isn’t heterosexuality was something that only exists in one’s mind and that if a person want to change their sexual orientation, he or she could. Therefore, in this class, after learning about sexual orientation, I accepted that people are born different and as society we should all accept that. Sexual orientation somehow I feel should require more large-scale intervention. In a lot places, LGBT people are discriminated. If God only created female and a male and that they only should be attracted to each other, let him only judge those whose feelings are different from what the bible states.