Today's Meaning of Prostitution - Essay Example

Other countries consider it a misdemeanor and still others regard it as a crime punishable by death. Despite the laws made to control or regulate the process of prostitution, the idea itself and the associated questions of choice, as well as empowerment, remain unanswered. It is therefore important to understand the idea to appreciate the social impact of prostitution.

Jeffreys (1997) discusses this idea at length and also presents several different viewpoints as well as his own about prostitution being a choice which women are allowed to make in this time and age since they should have control over their own bodies. This choice comes with the understanding that the business they are about to enter may have its own consequences and if the governments of their location recognize the issues surrounding their problems it would be beneficial for all concerned parties. For example, if the government can regulate the process and even gain tax benefits from legalized prostitution there may be a net positive social impact of the practice.

The Choice
Jeffreys compares the choice of prostitution with other choices that women may make in this time and age. For example, he mentions “reproductive surrogacy and breast implants (Jeffreys, 1997, pg. 130)”, as two choices which women are allowed to make without too many questions being asked which leads us to consider prostitution as an active choice as well. However, the idea of making prostitution a choice comes with a dangerous connotation of not drawing the line anywhere at all.

For instance, a person may say that taking cocaine is a choice, using marijuana is a choice even child pornography and pedophilia is a choice. In absolute terms, they may be choices indeed since many people choose not to indulge in those activities even if they have the opportunity to do so but the choice is a conscious choice since they know what impact their actions can have on themselves and society as well.

Therefore, going with the ideas presented by liberal economic theory as well as some feminist theory, the idea of prostitution with consent is a positive idea since it allows women to make a choice about their career and it provides a service for which there certainly is a defined market. However, if we take the situation in a different light as presented by Jeffreys (1997), then it can be made clear that simply consenting to be a prostitute may not be the ideal image of prostitution since the act itself is a negative choice. Jeffreys writes that:
“Oppression cannot effectively be gauged according to the degree of "consent", since even in slavery there was some consent if consent is defined as inabil¬ity to see, or feel entitled to, any alternative (Jeffreys, 1997, Pg. 135)”.

Not Really a Choice
In essence, the idea of choice becomes an illusion. Rather than fight against the social conditions and situations which cause women to use prostitution as the only means, they have to support themselves, prostitution and the women who are ‘forced’ into the profession are being falsely protected as a choice. This means that the idea of choice is a rather flimsy one since it is unlikely that women could desire to actively have payment for the services they provide.

Of course, this does not preclude women who actively wish to be prostitutes but it does mean that some women who are prostitutes may actually want or wish to have other professions. Since opportunities for women in many cases may be limited, especially when it comes to certain lesser developed regions of the world (BBC, 2003). Without a doubt, prostitution will certainly be the best and most obvious choice when it is the only choice that a woman can make to support herself or her family.

In fact, making prostitution a choice goes against the rights of women since it blames the victim of violence for the violence that has been perpetrated (Farley, 2004). A prostitute is only a prostitute by choice if s/he has other avenues of income and support that she can easily make use of. Otherwise, it is little more than slavery since slaves were also given sustenance and medical care because of the economic advantages which could be derived from them. Like slavery, prostitution may be legalized, regulated, or controlled but at the heart of it, prostitution remains a process by which women continue to be marginalized and used by their oppressors.

Conclusion
I feel that the approach taken by Jefferys (1997) is quite balanced since it does provide both sides of the argument which suggests that prostitution can be a choice and that prostitution is merely another weapon of violence that is used by those who control women as well as their destinies. I believe that applying the idea of choice to prostitution is a rather difficult proposition since I personally do not believe that a person could actively seek out a career as a sex worker. However, I also think that prostitution and the idea of sex workers will not be eliminated as long as there is a market for them and as long as other means of making a safe living are relatively closed to women around the world. Read More