Prostitution+in+the+United+States

Megan Fitzgerald

Prostitution in the United States


 * Background **

Prostitution is the a ct of trading sexual activities for material items, the most common being money (WomensLaw.org). In the United States of America, 49 states have declared it illegal. Only certain counties in the state of Nevada allow it- Churchill County, Esmeralda County, Lander County, Lyon County, Nye County and Storey County. There are four counties where prostitution is legal only in select cities- White Pine County, Pershing County, Elko County and Humboldt County (ProCon.org). In the photo on the left, the counties in pink have legal prostitution. The purple counties have select cities with legal prostitution, and the red counties represent where prostitution is illega l.

A //pimp// is a person who gets a cut of what the prostitution makes. He is in control over her clients, how often, and how much she charges. Because they have so much control over what the girl makes, she becomes dependent upon him, making it hard, if not near impossible, for her to leave. (PRE)

** Types of Prostitution ** Different women have different ways of finding new customers, some seen as being at higher risk than other forms. All are illegal (except in given areas) and have some risk involved no matter what precautions.

1. Streetwalkers: Mainly recruit new customers on the street, through soliciting passersby or those driving by in vehicles. Sexual acts are performed in more convenient, quick places for the customers, such as cars, motels, etc. Those who practice this form of prostitution are the most likely to be arrested, for they make themselves more aware to the general public.

2. Bar/Hotel Prostitutes: They frequent bars, hotels, nightclubs, etc. that have high potential for new customers. Usually they will know someone who works in the building and give them a share of the profits. There is less of a risk than with streetwalkers because they are able to be pointed out to potential customers by their colleagues, have a better sense of the type of client they will receive based on the location itself, and are in a more familiar environment. 3. Escort Services and Call Girls/Boys: These sex workers are put on call through referrals from past clients. The client calls the initial escort service and pays them money. They girl is called in and is then able to negotiate more money for herself through specific acts or uses of props. Because these clients tend to have more money, profits are usually highest for this type. They are also at less of a risk for STDs because they’re able to negotiate using a condom with the client as they negotiate money. 4. House/Brothels: This is the only legal form of prostitution in the country, and only in specific

parts of the country (certain counties in Nevada). At the brothel the women will be on display for the men, essentially for the men to “shop” for which woman they would like. They then pay the establishment for the girl’s services, and the girl must comply with whoever buys her. She then receives a portion of the money. This is seen as being the most controlled form of prostitution. For example, condom use has been regulated since the 1980s.

(law.jrank.org)


 * History **

During the Revolutionary War, prostitutes were common among the soldiers. During the war, women would perform sexual and labor acts for the soldiers. This grew to the forming of the nation’s first and only rural brothels, “hog farms”. These were ranches that were built near military quarters and usually run by a married couple. Each housed anywhere between 3-12 prostitutes for the soldiers’ entertainment (D’Emilio and Freedman, 1998).

Years later in 1857, New Orleans made the first steps to regulating and controlling prostitution. They made it illegal to have prostitution on the first floor of a building. More regulations such as these eventually led to t

he forming of Storyville, a red-light district with many forms of sexual acts and prostitution. At this time, soldiers were still known to be a common client of prostitutes. Due to concerns over the soldiers’ health, Storyville was eventually shut down (ProCon.org).

Certain areas of Nevada were able to gain legality of prostitution since the end of World War II. Before this time, it was against the law due to all of the diseases that were being transmitted to the soldiers training in Nevada (law.jrank.org). To this day, these remain the only places in America where prostitution (or at least brothels) are legal.


 * Why Women Become Prostitutes **

During the U.S. Victorian Era (from 1840s-1900), there was a strong sense of morality amongst the religious, especially when it came to sexual matters. Because of these social taboos, Dr. William Sanger chose to research why these women were choosing prostitution. He found that many of the girls (aged late teens-early twenties) came from troubled backgrounds, were poor, or were seen as a disgrace to society. Because of these situations, prostitution was one of the only ways for them to make any money.

In today’s world, these are still very common reasons for a girl to turn to prostitution. Another factor that is shown today to have a large impact is social pressures, especially from friends, or having a history of sexual abuse. In order to deal with these issues, they choose prostitution in order to try to make a living or feel some sense of self-worth through the clients that choose them.

(Hickenbottom, 2002)

Because prostitution is such a highly moral issue, society today is still making an issue of it. And when this happens, it makes for a good movie in Hollywood. One such movie is “Pretty Woman” starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Roberts plays a prostitute who is picked up by Gere, a very wealthy business man. They eventually fall in love and he saves her from her immoral lifestyle (Imdb). The popularity of this movie, among others like it, shows that prostitution is still a hot topic in our world.
 * Prostitution in the Media **

Another, more recent, movie that deals with prostitution and human trafficking is the movie “Taken” starring Liam Neeson. It follows a dad trying to track down the men who kidnapped his daughter and her friend in order to sell them into prostitution. Though it is not set in America, the immense success of this movie in the U.S. (grossing a total of $145,000,989 here alone) (Box Office Mojo) once again shows how serious of an issue it is.


 * References **

Box Office Mojo. __ [] __

D’Emilio, John and Freedman, Estelle B. (1998). “Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America”. Chicago: University Press.

Hickenbottom, Iris L. (2002). Women’s History Then and Now- Prostitution. __ [|http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/femhist/sex_work.shtml] __

History of Prostitution in the U.S. __ [] __

Internet Movie Database. __ [|http://imdb.com] __

PRE. Prostitution Research and Education. __ [] __

ProCon.org. Historical Timeline, Prostitution. __ [|http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Ib5__DS0btUJ:prostituti] [|on.procon.org/view.resource.php%3FresourceID%3D000117+history+of+U.S.+pr] [|ostitution&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com] __

ProCon.org. US Federal and State Prostitution Laws and Related Punishments. __ [] __

Law.jrank.org. Prostitution. Types of Prostitution. __ [] __

USATourist.com. __ [] __

WomensLaw.org. __ [] __