Prostitution in society
Robert Batis
Art Nishimura
Soc 1
18 Dec 2013
Prostitution in Society Prostitution, a practice that has existed likely since the very dawn of relations between individuals, can be loosely defined as the transaction between two or more parties where one party trades sexual services for currency or other services. The debate about prostitution, whether it be about legalization or abolition, though political at its core, has seldom been limited in discussion to a strictly political dominion. The talk of the subject often time sparks conflicts over morality and other easily heated topics that, due to their obviously touchy nature, can quickly dissolve into less of a discussion and more of battle of equally rigid moral frameworks that refuse to hear any side than their own. The debate over morality brings up certain sociological issues pertaining to deviance, deviance as defined by Durkheim’s theory of deviance states that “There is nothing inherently deviant or criminal in any act; the key is how society responds to the act.”(Durkheim,142),Prostitution at its core is viewed as a lowly profession that people of status often scoff at for being morally and socially unacceptable therefore the profession is viewed as deviant behavior. Beyond the immediate blind controversy however, there do lie opposing sides of the story that concern themselves with realities more than some of the other more idealistic positions. Among the many less conventional arguments, one that has been particularly important in the establishment of any kind of legislation is the position of feminist activists within their countries on both sides of the coin. Feminism, which refers to the social movement that demands equal and fair treatment of women in the political and societal arenas, has had a difficult time adopting a singular position on the subject. Two general positions have been taken up by these groups of so called feminists are those who classify prostitution as an act of
Art Nishimura
Soc 1
18 Dec 2013
Prostitution in Society Prostitution, a practice that has existed likely since the very dawn of relations between individuals, can be loosely defined as the transaction between two or more parties where one party trades sexual services for currency or other services. The debate about prostitution, whether it be about legalization or abolition, though political at its core, has seldom been limited in discussion to a strictly political dominion. The talk of the subject often time sparks conflicts over morality and other easily heated topics that, due to their obviously touchy nature, can quickly dissolve into less of a discussion and more of battle of equally rigid moral frameworks that refuse to hear any side than their own. The debate over morality brings up certain sociological issues pertaining to deviance, deviance as defined by Durkheim’s theory of deviance states that “There is nothing inherently deviant or criminal in any act; the key is how society responds to the act.”(Durkheim,142),Prostitution at its core is viewed as a lowly profession that people of status often scoff at for being morally and socially unacceptable therefore the profession is viewed as deviant behavior. Beyond the immediate blind controversy however, there do lie opposing sides of the story that concern themselves with realities more than some of the other more idealistic positions. Among the many less conventional arguments, one that has been particularly important in the establishment of any kind of legislation is the position of feminist activists within their countries on both sides of the coin. Feminism, which refers to the social movement that demands equal and fair treatment of women in the political and societal arenas, has had a difficult time adopting a singular position on the subject. Two general positions have been taken up by these groups of so called feminists are those who classify prostitution as an act of
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