The World's Oldest Profession: Sex And Gender
| 2012 | | Jessica Hughes
Contemporary Social Issues |
[Portfolio 1: Sex &Gender] | Class Notes, Activities, Textbook Notes, Journals, and Exam 1 |
Commonly known as the “World’s Oldest Profession,” it can be traced back to all ancient cultures and societies. Today, it remains one of the most profitable industries in the world. However, the morality and legality of prostitution has resulted in controversy with highly polarized views on its legal status. In the United States, prostitution is illegal; however, debates between the liberal and radical feminists exemplify prostitution as a critical social issue.
Gaining its origins in the late nineteenth century, pro-abolition activists and anti-prostitution feminists opposed …show more content…
The Progressive Era was an important time for social purist reformers, who followed the moral framework developed in the Jacksonian era of a “civilized society.” The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was founded by social purist reformers during the temperance movement. They claimed that alcohol contributed to violence against women. Therefore, prostitution was in danger of such violence and was an uncivilized act in which women subjected themselves to the desires of men.
They campaigned for alcohol prohibition and prostitution abolition. Also, they did not believe there was any justified compromise to purify prostitution. They were able to raise awareness to prostitution and direct their supporters towards state reform. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union still exists as a national organization today; however, its motives are strictly directed towards alcohol abuse. Nevertheless, the WCTU brought initial awareness to the issue of prostitution in America, and achieved many victories in legislation towards prohibiting prostitution, and moreover, gender …show more content…
These feminists condemned the beliefs of the radical feminists, stating that violence occurs only in certain systems of prostitution control. For example, in Germany, brothels set up by sex worker activists have modeled reasonable work conditions. The success of the brothel weakened criticism and arguments against the sex work activists, proving some systems of prostitution control were successful. In addition, sex work activists have built alliances with non-sex workers, human rights campaigners, the trade union movement, and libertarians. Collectively, many international organizations gather to create protests and campaigns, and are still active today. For instance, in 2007, the English Collective of Prostitutes, part of the International Prostitutes Collective, conducted the Safety First Coalition campaign. This campaign protested the five prostitutes murdered in Ipswich and the new law for prohibition. The English Collective of Prostitutes encouraged the Safety First Coalition as a liberal movement towards decriminalizing sex work and prioritizing safety. In retrospect, sex work activism is a growing movement and has received public recognition through their
Contemporary Social Issues |
[Portfolio 1: Sex &Gender] | Class Notes, Activities, Textbook Notes, Journals, and Exam 1 |
Commonly known as the “World’s Oldest Profession,” it can be traced back to all ancient cultures and societies. Today, it remains one of the most profitable industries in the world. However, the morality and legality of prostitution has resulted in controversy with highly polarized views on its legal status. In the United States, prostitution is illegal; however, debates between the liberal and radical feminists exemplify prostitution as a critical social issue.
Gaining its origins in the late nineteenth century, pro-abolition activists and anti-prostitution feminists opposed …show more content…
The Progressive Era was an important time for social purist reformers, who followed the moral framework developed in the Jacksonian era of a “civilized society.” The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was founded by social purist reformers during the temperance movement. They claimed that alcohol contributed to violence against women. Therefore, prostitution was in danger of such violence and was an uncivilized act in which women subjected themselves to the desires of men.
They campaigned for alcohol prohibition and prostitution abolition. Also, they did not believe there was any justified compromise to purify prostitution. They were able to raise awareness to prostitution and direct their supporters towards state reform. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union still exists as a national organization today; however, its motives are strictly directed towards alcohol abuse. Nevertheless, the WCTU brought initial awareness to the issue of prostitution in America, and achieved many victories in legislation towards prohibiting prostitution, and moreover, gender …show more content…
These feminists condemned the beliefs of the radical feminists, stating that violence occurs only in certain systems of prostitution control. For example, in Germany, brothels set up by sex worker activists have modeled reasonable work conditions. The success of the brothel weakened criticism and arguments against the sex work activists, proving some systems of prostitution control were successful. In addition, sex work activists have built alliances with non-sex workers, human rights campaigners, the trade union movement, and libertarians. Collectively, many international organizations gather to create protests and campaigns, and are still active today. For instance, in 2007, the English Collective of Prostitutes, part of the International Prostitutes Collective, conducted the Safety First Coalition campaign. This campaign protested the five prostitutes murdered in Ipswich and the new law for prohibition. The English Collective of Prostitutes encouraged the Safety First Coalition as a liberal movement towards decriminalizing sex work and prioritizing safety. In retrospect, sex work activism is a growing movement and has received public recognition through their