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Commercial Sex Chapter 19
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Learning Objectives Prostitution Pornography and Obscenity
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Prostitution Sale of sex for money or goods of value, like drugs
Illegal in the US A few Nevada counties have legalized prostitution, but only the use of state-licensed brothels is legal Most prostitutes are female Most clients are male “The world’s oldest profession” Redefined as sex work
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Incidence of Prostitution
No exact number of sex workers in the US Less common, but still flourishes Young men in recent generations are less likely to visit prostitutes Concern about STIs reduced clientele
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Streetwalkers Female Prostitutes
Prostitutes who solicit on the streets Most common type of prostitution At risk of abuse by customers and pimps Are the bottom rung of the hierarchy of prostitutes Tend to have history of poverty and of being abused Most at risk for arrest Drugs and disease are a way of life
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Female Prostitutes Brothel prostitution The massage parlor Strip clubs
Occupy a middle status in the hierarchy of prostitutes Live in the brothel, but split their profits with management Some may be there against their will. The massage parlor Many serve as fronts for prostitution Often found in malls in middle-class suburbs Masturbation and oral sex are the most common services Strip clubs Often limited to dances only Extra services may be bought for tips in the VIP rooms
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Female Prostitutes Escort services Call girls
Found in every major US city Some provide escort services only, but most are fronts for prostitution Many prostitutes who are escorts come from middle-class backgrounds and are well educated Call girls Have the highest status and make the most money Overlap with escorts Most attractive and well-educated prostitutes Usually work on their own
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Female Prostitutes Researchers find a high level of psychological disturbance among prostitutes (Farley et al, 2005) 82% had history of childhood sexual abuse 72% had a history of childhood physical abuse 90% had been physically assaulted on the job 78% had been raped on the job 72% could be diagnosed with PTSD
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Female Prostitution Getting into “The Life”
Poverty, sexual and/or physical abuse, and family dysfunction are common in the backgrounds of most prostitutes Some enter because they have learned that sex can gain them attention or love from adults The major motive is money
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“Johns” The Customers of Female Prostitutes
Men who hire prostitutes represent all socioeconomic and ethnic groups “Occasional johns” vs. “habitual johns” “Compulsive johns” Try to fulfill psychological or sexual need Some suffer from a whore-Madonna complex Women are either sinners or saints Enjoy sex only with prostitutes or only ask prostitutes to engage in certain acts View marital sex as an obligation
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Motives of Using Prostitutes
Sex without negotiation Sex without commitment Sex for eroticism and variety Prostitution as a social outlet Sex away from home Problematical sex
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Prostitution should be legalized throughout the United States.
Critical Thinking Agree or disagree with the following statement and support your answer: Prostitution should be legalized throughout the United States.
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Male Prostitutes Gigolos Male prostitutes who service female clients
Rare Clients typically older, wealthy, unattached women Hustlers Men who engage in prostitution with male customers Customers of hustlers are called scores Are generally young and have little education Many come from families with a history of alcoholism or physical or sexual abuse May be gay, bisexual, or heterosexual
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Kinds of Male Sex Workers
Strippers Kept boys Call boys Punks Drag prostitutes Brothel prostitutes Bar hustlers/street hustlers Money is the main motive for male prostitution Mostly an adolescent enterprise
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Prostitutes often do not use condoms
STIs and Prostitution The risk of HIV/AIDS is most deadly threat Linked to both female and male prostitution In countries where HIV is spread mainly by male-female sexual intercourse, sex with prostitutes is a main method of transmission Prostitutes often do not use condoms Many prostitutes and their clients inject drugs and share contaminated needles
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Should Prostitution be Legalized?
Countries in which prostitution is legalized and regulated have low rates of STIs Turns sex workers into taxpayers Provides a safer venue for prostitution Degrading to women and family values Still may not be a free decision Sex trafficking
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Pornography and Obscenity
What Is Pornographic? Pornography Sexually explicit material produced to elicit or enhance sexual arousal Is popular and controversial Some are opposed due to moral issues Feminists are opposed due to its portrayal of women Prurient Tending to excite lust; lewd Determining what constitutes pornography is very subjective Pornography may be hard-core (X-rated) or soft-core (R-rated)
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Pornography and Obscenity
Offends people’s feelings or goes beyond prevailing standards of decency or modesty Usually laws are written about obscenity rather than pornography Obscenity
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Pornography, Law, and Politics
Anti-obscenity bill that also outlawed the dissemination of birth control information The Comstock Act (1873) Portrayal of sexual activity was protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution Roth v. United States (1957) Possessing obscene material in one’s home is not a criminal act Child pornography is a different matter, however Stanley v. Georgia (1969) Judgments of obscenity may vary by “community standards” Miller v California (1973) Obscenity hinges on whether a reasonable person would find literary, artistic, political, or scientific value in the material Pope v. Illinois (1987)
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Feminists and Pornography
Many feminists find the proliferation of sexual imagery portrays women as sex objects subservient to men Some feminists joined groups to ban pornography, sparking conflict Feminist historians criticize these efforts
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Prevalence and Use of Erotica and Pornography
Nearly all of us are exposed to sexually explicit materials Typically by high school Typically by peers Used to elicit or enhance sexual arousal Both men and women are aroused Repeated exposure to same material lessens response
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Discuss the relationship of the internet and the use of pornography.
Critical Thinking Discuss the relationship of the internet and the use of pornography.
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Prevalence and Use of Erotica and Pornography
Sex differences in response to pornography Both men and women can become physiologically aroused by pornography However, they may not share the same subjective response to it Women prefer romantic scenes to explicit ones
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Pornography and Sexual Coercion
In 1970 concluded that there was no evidence that pornography led to crimes of violence or sexual offenses The Commission on Obscenity and Pornography In 1985 claimed to find a causal link between sexual violence and exposure to violent pornography Found no evidence linking exposure to nonviolent, nondegrading pornography and sexual violence Critics contend that they failed to distinguish between the effects of sexually explicit material and the effects of violent material The Meese Commission Report
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Pornography and Sexual Coercion
Research found little or no difference in the level of exposure to pornography between incarcerated sex offenders and other felons However, pornography, especially violent pornography, may stimulate sexually deviant urges in certain subgroups of sex offenders and increase sexually aggressive behavior Pornography and sex offenders
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Pornography and Sexual Coercion
According to research, men exposed to violent pornography are more likely to become aggressive against females and to show less sensitivity toward women who have been sexually assaulted Depictions of women becoming aroused by victimization may legitimize violence against women in the viewer’s mind Violence, rather than the sexual explicitness, may cause negative attitudes toward rape victims Violent pornography
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Pornography and Sexual Coercion
Males and females who received extended exposure to pornography Gave more lenient punishments to a rapist Males’ attitudes toward women became more callous and negative Evidence exists that repeated exposure to nonviolent pornography Can loosen traditional sexual and family values Can foster dissatisfaction with the physical appearance and sexual performance of one’s intimate partner Nonviolent pornography
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Explain your point of view.
Critical Thinking Which do you consider the greater danger - the danger of widely available pornography or the danger of censorship? Explain your point of view.
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