Prostitution in the 19th and 20th Centuries Essays

During the late 19th- and early 20th century, the nature of society forced the working class women of America to take advantage of any means to support themselves, including prostitution. Each woman had to decide herself which work option best supported her financially. During this time, women had limited options as far as work was concerned. As time went on, more and more women were forced to work, because they had no husband and no other means of building up a dowry for a husband. By 1910 the wage labor force was made up of about 20% of women as young as fourteen. The wages these women earned were unbelievably low, and at times as much as 80% lower than the wages men earned. Possible job opportunities for the women included†¦show more content†¦Through prostitution, the women also had more independence. They had the right to control when they worked, and who their clients were. Their health was better protected as well. They weren’t running the constant hea lth hazards that factory working provided. They could also afford clothing, their own rooms, and other luxuries. However, there were also several critical down-falls of prostitution. The higher-class society was hard on prostitutes, claiming they only worked for silly, frivolous reasons. Society began to insist more and more that respectable women have no sexual passion. Most women submitted to this belief in order to be sacrificial and withhold their virtuous reputation. Society assumed that any woman who took part in prostitution enjoyed sex. Working women were also presumed sexual simply because they were involved with the public sphere. Therefore, prostitutes were considered the downfall of women. However, there were others in society who claimed that prostitution was a â€Å"necessary evil† which must be regulated. These members thought that in order for the men to distinguish between a â€Å"good† woman, and a wretch of a woman, prostitution was necessa ry. Men were expected to marry respectable women. Perhaps, these members of society also thought it necessary for the entertainment of men when they were away from home on business trips. In other words, the men may haveShow MoreRelatedA Society By Fyodor Dostoyevsky1075 Words   |  5 PagesThe 19th Century Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky once wrote that a society can be judged by the conditions within its prisons. In that same vein, you can determine the strength of a society by how it treats those living on the outskirts of society, the most vulnerable and stigmatized citizens. Prostitutes are nearly at the bottom of the American social hierarchy, just above pedophiles, rapists, and violent criminals. Prostitutes are vilified in a way suggesting that they’re somehow victimizingRead More Role of Women During and After the Age of Revolutions Essay1727 Words   |  7 Pagesvery important document then and today, as one of the first women’s civil rights and priv ileges act that influenced for further reform in the 19th century. The declaration opened many doors to women’s rights that account for many future changes as the time line moved from the French Revolution to the Industrial Revolution. In the early 19th century Flora Tristan a feminist wrote the â€Å"The London Laboring Classes† in the London Journal, describing the conditions of factory workers afterRead MoreThe American Criminal Justice System873 Words   |  4 Pagestopic. â€Æ' History of Prostitution Prostitution has been a controversy issue since the beginning of the 13 colonies and it still happens to be an issue until today. According to Jackson, prostitution was brought over with the early European settlers, and there was no Native American counterpart to the purchase of sexual favors. In the beginning years prostitution was not illegal it wasn’t until years later that the United States wanted to regulate the issue. Recently prostitution is illegal in allRead MoreSex, Prostitution, And The Production Of Sex Toys Essay1687 Words   |  7 PagesSex work, consisting of prostitution and the production of sex toys, has been implemented in the United States since the 18th century. Through red-light districts, street prostitution, escort or out-call prostitution, brothel prostitution, and child prostitution, prostitution still thrives in the United States despite legality. Sex toys has become increasingly more available on shelves but still primarily stay in the e-commerc e realm. Sex work has struggled to stay in the United States becauseRead MoreThe Brothels And House Of Ill Fame1440 Words   |  6 Pages1880 to 1920 depended on industry in Eau Claire, particularly the lumber industry. The success of the prostitution can be known by studying the number of brothels throughout these decades. Author examines the relationship between the lumber industry, and the working class in Eau Claire to make this argument. This article talks about how increase in lumber industry lead to increase in prostitution activity. After civil war the industry expanded dramatically and Eau Claire was a wealthy lumber townRead MoreFemale Criminality And The Criminal System1368 Words   |  6 Pages(Gibson, 1982). Most research and documentation on female criminality was linked to prostitution evading many other aspects of women criminality such as hysterics, infanticide and shoplifters, which were generally the stars of the tabloid press but not of criminological studies (Bronfman, 2007; Rodrà ­guez, 2006). Throughout this essay I will present various facets of female criminality and delinquency, including prostitution, and the many issues faced by women in the criminal system, as well as the forensicRead MoreProstitution And Women s Rights Essay1084 Words   |  5 PagesProstitution and Women Rights in Chicago. This research paper discusses social issues related to prostitution in Chicago, a city along route 66 and is divided into four sections. In the first section, definition of prostitution is discussed. Also different forms of prostitution are listed. It should be clearly stated there s no one accepted definition of prostitution. The term prostitution is controversial. Sociologists are still debating on how prostitution should be defined. Moreover, prostitutionRead MoreRealism in Arms and the Man1527 Words   |  7 PagesRealism was a general movement in 19th-century theatre that developed a set of dramatic and theatrical conventions with the aim of bringing a greater fidelity of real life to texts and performances. It shared many stylistic choices with naturalism, including a focus on everyday (middle-class) drama, colloquial speech, and mundane settings. Realism and naturalism diverge chiefly on the degree of choice that characters have: while naturalism believes in the overall stren gth of external forces overRead MoreWomen s Rights Of The New Zealand822 Words   |  4 Pagesand also known as a notorious character in Melbourne, Australia. (Hutchison, 1990). She moved to Dunedin, New Zealand by early 1863 when gold was discovered in the West Coast and work as a prostitute for her living. By the time in 19th centuries, prostitution was not in itself a criminal offense. However, She finally received a one-way ticket to Hokitika from Dunedin Resident Magistrate s Court on charges of drunkenness and disorderly conduct. She was die in 1882, her body was found lying amongRead MoreComparing the Approaches of the Progressive and Populist Movements893 Words   |  4 PagesPopulism vs. Progressivism Essay During the late 19th century and early 20th century the progressive movement and populist movement were groups and organizations getting together to resolve social, economic, and political problems occurring in the United States. Both movements had different approaches to what was more important and how to deal with problems. Progressivism was mainly for the betterment of cities while populism is for agrarian section of farmers. First of all there were social failures