Prostitution Is One of the Oldest Trades in the World

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction & Background
Failure of Legislative Enactments
Poverty as the Main Cause
Theoretical Approach
Merton’s Strain Theory
Relationship between Theory and Prostitution
Further Theoretical Classification
Categorization about Prostitution
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction & Background

Prostitution is one of the oldest trades in the world. It is mentioned as early as 2400 BC in the Sumerian records. According to sources, the word kar. kid used to mean female prostitutes were closely associated with temple service. In the records, prostitution is mentioned together with other professions for women which include lady doctors, barbers, cooks et cetera. This trade is not mentioned only in the Sumerian records.

It is present in Hammurabi’s code of 1780 BC, the Code of Assura of 1075 BC, the Hetairai in Ancient Greece et cetera (Boskoff 15). While some kingdoms outlawed it, others legalized prostitution. Surprisingly, prostitution remains an Achilles’ heel to many nations to date. One question remains unanswered, why hasn’t any nation succeeded in eliminating prostitution? Consequently, this paper intends to argue out that prostitution is not a crime. It cannot be controlled through legislative enactments. Instead, it is simply a manifestation of social imbalance. Bridging this imbalance is the only solution to the vice.

Failure of Legislative Enactments

The first reason why prostitution cannot be eliminated through legislative enactments is that most of these women join the vice as a result of poverty. Without addressing poverty, other legislations will remain unproductive as witnessed in the United States. In 1875, the United States made its first step towards a prostitution-free America with the passage of the Page Act of 1875. Since then, there have been several endeavors to curb the vice.

Different states have come up with different legislations all aimed at controlling prostitution. In New Orleans, for example, the first struggle towards controlling this vice was witnessed in 1857 when prostitution was banned from being conducted on the first floors. This ordinance was later declared unconstitutional. More legislative measures were enacted in July 1865. Eventually, the red-light district of Storyville was created. This was the year 1897. Twenty years later, the district was legally abolished after being discovered that it was posing great health risks to US soldiers (Boskoff 24).

Poverty as the Main Cause

If well addressed, the issue of poverty can help in controlling prostitution. Given that legal enactments have failed, this calls for a different approach. Studies conducted show that these women express that they are in the streets due to their inability to get a decent job that would help them settle their bills leads them to the streets. If this is their position, why could such an approach fail? It means that the participants of this trade are ready to quit it if necessary steps are taken. Most of them say that they would quit the trade if they got a different option of earning a living.

In a study carried out in the US in 1998, it was found out that 92% of all women who participated in this trade wished they would quit the trade if they had other means of assisting them to get the necessities such as a home, basic training that would earn them a decent job, comfortable health care, services such as counseling and money to pay for their treatment. In the same study whose respondents were from San Francisco, California, and whose ages ranged from 12 to 61, it was found out that all races and ethnicities participated in the trade (Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation par.7).

As argued above, prostitution will only be controlled if these women are given a different option of earning money. Most of the women prostitutes believed that this trade earns a lot of money. As a result, about 300,000 to 600,000 juveniles are said to engage in prostitution with the sole aim of getting a share of this lucrative money-earning business. In addition, more than fifty percent of the women prostitutes did not complete their high school studies. 85% of them had never, in their entire lives, earned money using a different trade (Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation par. 12).

Theoretical Approach

Why does this paper argue that prostitution can only be eradicated if the problem of social imbalance is solved? In fact, what is termed as social imbalance, and in what ways will it eradicate this vice as opposed to legislation and Acts? Arguably, the decisions to engage in prostitution are purely sociological. It is the society and its structures and the socially accepted goals and means of achieving these goals that lead to such decisions. To ascertain this, the structural strain theory will be used to analyze prostitution as deviant behavior.

Merton’s Strain Theory

To understand the real causes of prostitution, it is vital to understand Merton’s strain theory. On the development of this theory, he argued that deviating behavior originates from the rift between the culturally accepted goals and the normative and the legitimate ways that people have to attain these goals. According to Merton, a society consists of culture and structures. It is the role of the structures within the society to establish goals that are to be the ultimate objective for the members of the society. On the other, it is the role of the social structures within the given society to offer legitimate means to attain the established goals. In some cases, the structures available fail to offer individuals means hence leading to an imbalance between goals and means of attainment. It is from this imbalance that deviance develops (Boskoff 32).

Based on this theory, it is evident that prostitution is deviance that develops from an imbalance between established goals and the normative means of attaining the goals. This is to say, society has unanimously accepted that every individual should live in a decent house. As a member of society, one must have a good health care service that would assist him or her during times of need. In addition, society has decided that for an individual to get a decent job, he must have attained certain levels of training or academic studies. These are what Merton refers to as the goals of a given society.

Relationship between Theory and Prostitution

However, does everybody in the society have access to the above-mentioned? Inarguably, the answer is no. Several people live in abject poverty. They cannot afford money for a decent home or health care. They do not have money to afford even the most basic form of training that will allow them to get a decent job. In such a situation, these people remain with very few options. Even though they accept the established goals, the means to access these goals remain inaccessible. This is evident in the study above which showed that less than 50% of the respondents completed their high school studies.

In addition, 92% pointed out that they could quit prostitution if they had a better means of earning a living. However, they are trapped in the trade because they need money for a home, for good health care, for basic training et cetera. This is evident that they have accepted the established goals. Unfortunately, the conventional and normative means call for money. This is what the social structure has established. One must have money to buy a home, to get a good health care provider, to pay college fees for basic or advanced training. This group doesn’t have money (which is the normative means) to attain the necessities (which are the goals).

Further Theoretical Classification

In further clarification of the theory, Merton puts across 5 categories of people about accepted goals and the legitimate ways of attaining them. The first category is that of conformists. These people accept the identified and established goals and also the channels of achieving them. This is to say, they abide by the established societal rules. The second group involves the ritualists who refuse the established goals. However, they accept the identified means. Innovators form the third category of people as identified by Merton. These people accept the established goals. However, they do not accept the means provided. In general, these people disregard the conventional means established to attain the goals.

These are in most cases, criminals. The fourth category retreats who refuse both the goals and the means. They care less about society’s established goals and the means of attaining them. This group includes the hermits. Finally, he identifies the last category as rebels. These people, like retreats, neither accept the goals nor the means. Instead, they create their own goals and means different and in most cases contrary to the ones established by the society (Boskoff 45).

Categorization about Prostitution

How important is this categorization? The third category which he refers to as innovators is the most important in the attempt to explain prostitution. He posits that this category consists of people who accept the established goals of society but not the means. In this case, women prostitutes are classified under this group because although they have accepted the goals of the society which include access to a good health care plan, ownership of a home, or attainment of a certain level of basic training, they have not accepted the means of attaining these goals. As a result, they have developed their means which is not among the socially accepted ones and that is prostitution.

Conclusion

In conclusion, prostitution is a deviant behavior resulting from an imbalance between society’s established goals and the normative means of attaining these goals. Consequently, controlling this vice will only be achieved if this imbalance is addressed and not legislative enactments. These ladies having accepted the goals but being disadvantaged by the social structure, decide to create their unaccepted means which is prostitution.

This is the category Merton refers to as innovators. Although the governments try to curb prostitution using legislative enactments, it is evident that this is not the proper approach. To eliminate the vice, the first step is identifying the imbalance between the goals and the means. Once the structure of the society is designed in such a way that it allows every individual to attain the goals, then prostitution will eliminate itself. This supposition is supported by the fact that 92% of the respondents were ready to quit prostitution if they got the means of providing them with necessities.

Works Cited

Boskoff, Alvin. Theory in American Sociology: Major Sources and Application. New York: Crowell, 1969.

“Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation: The United States of America.” University of Rhode Island, n.d. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!