Sociological Theories Of Acts Of Deviance And Prostitution

In sociology, the term deviance refers to all violations of social rules, regardless of their seriousness (Essentials of Sociology 136). Deviance is an individual or organizational behavior that violates societal norms and is usually accompanied by negative reactions from others. According to a sociologist S. Becker, he stated that it is not the act itself that makes an action deviant, but rather how society reacts to it.

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

Traditionally prostitution was viewed as a consensual act, one person selling sexual favors to a willing buyer. Used in many classes as an example of “Mala Prohibita” when differentiating between “Mala Prohibita” and “Mala in Se” (conduct that is illegal because it is prohibited vs. conduct that is illegal because it is inherently wrong or evil). This is perhaps true about prostitution in its simplest form (an independent adult seller deciding with their own free will to perform sexual acts with another adult individual in exchange for money or other compensation).

“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).

Prostitutes are usually scandalous by nature or even definition. Usually risky behavior or even unexplained disappearance or death are normally associated with prostitution.

If you think about it, it promotes the exact same values as modern slavery. The only major differences between the two are that; the acts of present-day prostitution revolves around all cultures whereas modern day slavery only revolves merely around whites, blacks, and maybe some of Irish decent. Prostitution mainly begins with poverty. Poverty is simply the situation or act of being poor. Often, females and even some males, will turn to prostitution because they live in a lifestyle that results in them having no adequate income or resourceful necessities for basic life. Other relevant purposes that often leads to prostitution is a lack of employment, educational benefits, and law enforcement. Personality can also have an effect on traffickers and prostitutes as well. Many females suffer from low self-esteem such as; they do not look or feel pretty or maybe they cannot do something as good as the next individual. They often do not have anything or anyone to look up to for moral support so they turn to these deadly streets in hopes of at least finding love. Based on the feminist perspective, it is viewed through inequity in gender as central to all behavior and organization. This perspective clearly focuses on one aspect of inequality and in turn is often allied with the conflict perspective as

Prostitution is describing the selling of sex that does not need consent or coercion. Trafficking covers coercion and forced labor as well as slavery. (P. 502) The main difference is that same women choose to go into prostitution on economic grounds and tracking is done through force. When someone wants to participate in something, even if its concerned bad, unhealthy or unsafe its harder to protect them for the dangers. Millions of women have made the discussion to sell sex bassed on economic grounds. Some women making UK100 a night selling sex isn’t going to want to sweep floors or kit sweaters for half the price and more hard labor. (p. 502) Women can make much better money and better their economic status by being a prostitute. Here in the US we see selling sex as a moral issue that needs to stop. This brings up another issue, that women here are battling between moral ideology and the reality of the situation. Women in other counties don’t have the same values, beliefs or rights that we have here. For most of us its seems unreal that women and young girls would sell there body like that but to them it’s a way to better there situation and their life. Women also have a different mind set about what they are doing. They see themselves as sex workers, its job and that’s all it is. (p. 502)

Becoming a prostitute comes with many different obstacles. Being a prostitute damages you mentally and physically. Mentally it could affect how someone feels about themselves. According to Tahlia Perry in her article Prostitution: A Problem of Equality, Dignity and Integrity prostituted women experience feelings of numbness, shock, fear, loss of control, nightmares, depression, anger, desensitization, shame and guilt (Perry). All these problems could cause a life time of daily problems and how one reacts to social interaction. With saying that mental illness could cause dissociation which occurs during extreme stress among prisoners of war who are tortured, among children who are sexually assaulted, and among women who are battered, raped, or prostituted also dissociation, depression, and other mood disorders are common among prostituted women in street, escort, and strip club prostitution according to Melissa Farley, PhD, Founding Director of the Prostitution Research and Education (Farley). With all the side effects from being a prostitutes it could cause addiction. According to Janice G. Raymond crack cocaine and alcohol were used most frequently during prostitution (Raymond). With all the mental tolls a prostitute could go through it could push them to their furthest limit. Women in prostitution are also at special risk for self-mutilation, suicide and homicide as stated

Prostitution, by definition, generally means the command by a person of any natural or unnatural sexual act, deviate sexual

An age old profession known as prostitution paints the history of virtually every culture dating back to the cultivation of each society. Throughout the years the stereotypes of these women who identify themselves as a prostitute has changed from one of respect to one of disgust. One thing remains constant the motivation that drives someone to choose a lifestyle where the body, in the eyes of many religions is a holy temple, to be repeatedly used. When looking at the purpose of prostitution from the view of the prostitute majority of the time survival played a key role in the decision making of the women. Prostitution can be defined as “the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment”, some may even add the labels of unworthy and corrupt to this occupation. My question is what exactly qualifies prostitution as being an unworthy profession to engage in. As of now Nevada is the only state in the United States to allow some form of prostitution while the forty nine other states still have outlawed it completely. I have researched and decided there are no valid arguments that justifies prostitution to be illegal.

Latent lesbianism, low intelligence, a home life of abuse, and desperate poverty head the list of possible reasons. Nevertheless, no one has been able to isolate a specific set of social factors that leads to prostitution. Current books by prostitutes and new scientific studies have prompted Vern and Bonnie Burlough, from the book The First Sex, to conclude that prostitution is, largely, "simply another occupation"(Fisher 208). If in fact, prostitution is looked upon as another occupation, then why not create a win-win situation. Prostitutes would contribute monetarily to society and would have in return rights to health benefits and retirement would be ensured. According to the "World Charter For Prostitutes' Rights," prostitutes themselves believe that they should "pay regular taxes on the same basis as other independent contractors and employees, and should receive the same benefits."

Prostitution is ambiguous to define. The Macquarie dictionary defines prostitution as 1. the act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse 2. any base or unworthy use of talent, ability, etc. But the act of prostitution involves many other associated facets that are included under this extensive act. There’s the act itself, soliciting, advertising, pimping, house brothels, street prostitution, phone sex and even computer sex.

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

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.