Sociology of prostitution

Prostitution is one topic in which the causes have been debated by many. There are three theories that I will discuss throughout this paper. The theories include a functionalist, feminist, and social psychological view of the subject. The argument that appears more correct is a matter of opinion.

The functionalists believe there are two main reasons why a person would become a prostitute. The first reason deals with sexual morality. To break it down further the argument is that our sexual morality system, while condemning prostitution, actually and inadvertently encourages it. We live in a society that encourages the belief that sex with a spouse is “meaningful” while sex with a prostitute is “meaningless.” This idea may actually encourage men to seek sex with a prostitute if all they want is meaningless sex. Additionally certain sex acts, such as oral copulation or anal sex, are considered immoral by our society. This means that the common belief among society is that these acts should not be done with their spouse. This may motivate men who desire these acts to seek the services of an immoral prostitute. Another reason proposed by the functionalist is the belief that prostitution actually serves to strengthen sexual morality. Basically the sex industry keeps the “respectable” women pure because men can satisfy their immoral sexual desires elsewhere.

There is some evidence to support the functionalist view of prostitution. Studies have shown that in certain societies such as traditional Asian societies where prostitution is prevalent, respectable women are less likely to engage in immoral sex acts. On the other hand many western societies where prostitution is less common, respectable women are more likely to engage in immoral sex acts.

Now let’s look at the feminist view. Feminist believe that the functionalist theory is nothing more then a reflection of our society’s sexist views. They believe that the men partaking in the acts are just as immoral as the prostitutes themselves. They take their argument a step further by suggesting that the topic of prostitution is a small part of the larger patriarchal system in which men dominate the exploited women. Feminist also argue that society teaches boys to dominate girls and are expected to continue this behavior into adulthood. On the other hand society teaches girls to be submissive to boys, and to remain that way into adulthood. To prove this the feminist point out that prostitution is more prevalent in societies in which there is a greater presence of gender inequality. The basic idea is that prostitution and a male patriarchy support each other. This is because prostitution supports and encourages the idea that all women can be bought or are less valuable then men.

Finally let’s look at the Social Psychological Theory. This theory argues that there are three main reasons why some women become a prostitute. First are predisposing factors such as parental neglect, child abuse, or some other traumatic event. Attracting factors such as the belief that a women can have an easy life or make allot of easy money as a prostitute. And precipitating factors, such as unemployment, peer pressure, or other outside influences. While predisposing factors may cause a women to consider becoming a prostitute, it is unlikely she will actually become one without some of the other listed factors.

In my opinion each theory states a very convincing argument. It is difficult to remain unbiased when thinking of this topic due to our personal beliefs. Although the supporters of each theory may not want to admit it, the fact is that if you look close enough you will see they all say the same basic thing. This one thing is the fact that prostitution is not merely an issue that involves prostitutes; it involves all of society and many outside influences.