The Case Of Prostitution Among Women - Research Paper Example

? Research on Sociology of Deviance: The Case of Prostitution Among Women Outline Paragraph Introduction Paragraph 2: Situating the Context of Prostitution around the World Paragraph 3: The Labels of These Women Paragraph 4: The Labelling Theory Paragraph 5: Living with Stigma Paragraph 6: The Dimensions of Stigma Paragraph 7: Functionalist Approach to Deviance Paragraph 8: Conclusion The society people used to live in has established its own normative standards for the individuals to follow. For some specific reasons, there are phases of people’s existence that causes them to be marked, labelled and stigmatized (Goffman, 1963). Engaging on such behaviours outside the social norms will serve as grounds to be considered deviant (Adler & Adler, 2009). Because this society is established with specific behavioural standards, this research will primarily focus on the case of prostitution among females as a form of violation of social norms. First and foremost, what has driven me to highlight in this paper the case of prostitution among women is the prevalence of those women who engage in paid sex around the world. In an exploratory study by Atchison, Fraser & Lowman (1998), the practice of offering sexual services in exchange of money is much more common, usual and still growing in the third world than the first world countries. According to Lim (1998) a small percentage of around 0.25 to 1.5 among the female population accounts for the sex workers in less developed nations like Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Whereas the case of United States, belonging to a developed county, about 2 percent among women are noted to have ever been engaged in selling their bodies for sex (Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, & Michaels, 1994). According to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography by United Nations Economic and Social Council, the streets in America may have around 300,000 streetwalkers who are as young as children aged 9 to 12 years old. Various factors caused these women to engage in prostitution. These elements which have pushed them to be streetwalkers, prostitutes, sluts and other terms people use to call them are specific to their experiences. Each of these women has their own reason why they have ended up providing sexual services to men. For some streetwalkers, it is because of the sexual abuse they have experienced in their past. For some, it is because they have to resort on this kind of work in order to sustain a living. But regardless of whatever reason that has made these women to be in prostitution and despite their occurrence in each part of the world, this is not the society expects them to behave. They should not be functioning in the world of prostitution. Because these women have failed to follow the normative standards of society, these women who are often labelled by people as prostitutes, streetwalkers, sluts, whores, and a lot more other terms which make them be stereotyped. Indeed, these labels are just constructions of the society. These labels we used to call these women are certainly disapproving, undesirable and making them be excluded even though we really do not recognize what has caused them to be like that. People just know that the kind of people they are should not be respected for they have been a shame and a disgrace to the women and the rest of society. People are used to stereotyping them. People think of them as individuals whom should not be liked. People are seeing them as lower beings for these women have violated the rules imposed by society. The women have reached the limits of what is insisted by society to be acceptable. The process of being labelled is an important theory in explaining why these women are considered deviant. As for Becker’s (1999) conceptualization, labelling theory has assisted to their current state of being deviant because society has already defined and associated their identities with these labels such as prostitutes, streetwalker, sluts and whores. Their deviant act of selling their bodies in exchange of money is reinforced by the labels that the society gives them. There are different origins of labelling however, in their case, these women have acquired the labels because of engaging in the act of prostitution. The various labels people have associated with them are consequences of their non-standard behaviour of resorting to paid sex. However, it is important to note that these labels are flexible and the intensity of labelling is affected by a specific society, the individual who gives labels, and the individual who is being labelled. Nevertheless, labelling these women is not enough means on showing how the society disapproves their behaviour. Women who are engaging in this kind of sexual labor are suffering from the social stigma. In examination of the experiences of 14 women in the realm of prostitution, Sallman’s (2010) finds out that these women do not only suffer from different kinds of labelling but also undergo violence and discrimination of various sorts. Their involvement to prostitution has originated to their everyday experience of social stigma. Their identities of being sex workers are associated with varying degrees of undesirable and damaging criticisms. Even though people do not really know how long these women have been working for paid sex, diverse impressions about them are formed. For Goffman (1963), this condition is “deeply discrediting.” They are stigmatized women with “spoiled identity.” In the case of the women’s prostitution, such social stigma functions to dislike, condemn and disapprove them. As categorized as deviant and identified with lots of damaging labels, these women are disqualified from a complete acceptance by the society in which they belong. A gap is formed within the identities of these women are formed. It is a mismatch between who they really are and what kind of women is assumed to be by the society. Being prostitutes themselves, they have endured different dimensions of stigma. Some have tried to conceal the kind of labor they are into. Some have suffered from the trouble they receive from their interactions in the society. Some treat them like they are menace to society. Indeed, the kind of women they are now is demarcated from the rest who compel to the norms. The construction of deviance is the society’s mechanism to show its control, influence and power. Indeed, as a social construct, deviance is specific to each society’s normative standard and is adjusting depending on time and space. All the features of stigma like that of labelling, discriminating, excluding and providing these women in prostitution different forms of violence are just functioning to inform them that what they’re doing is something no longer acceptable for the society. The paradigm of structural functionalism by Durkheim (1999) sees these negative consequences of their behaviour as functional to the society. This is because these women should constrain their behaviours to the elements such as norms, values and laws that assist the structure of society. The whole process of deviance is just a society’s mechanism to inform these women about how they have exceeded the margins of morality. Although the process is disruptive to the individuals whom society considers deviant, it only serves as a reminder of how wrong their behaviors are. This is in order for them to stop the deviant act and go back to doing things that are considered right. Providing sexual activities is not tolerated by the society for according to Malinowski (1960), the society is structured considering one of the rules of Christianity which is sex should be done inside the context of marriage and that is exclusive between married couple. Given how society has structured the context of sex, it is definitely apparent why engagement in prostitution is not accepted. Only married couples are allowed to engage in sex with the aim to procreate. Indeed, it is not only church that is valued but as well as the family as a social structure. This paper has presented how society sees prostitution among women as a deviant case and how the society manages deviance of prostitution. Whatever the origins of why these women are involved in prostitution, it does not matter to the society. Even if why they become prostitutes, streetwalkers, sluts, and whores is a result of them being sexually abused in the past or because they are left without any option to survive but resort to paid sex, the society’s concern is to let them know that it should be stopped. These women should change their behaviours and should not violate the imposed normative standards of the society. Unfortunately, even if these women have brought to an end their involvement to prostitution and follow the norms, the effects of deviant behaviour do not simply end there. It is the case that once an individual has been labelled, the society can still see that individual’s deviant behaviour together with him or her even if it has happened years ago. This is for the reason that their deviant status is something they have acquired from engaging to paid sex. In the eyes of the people, once these women have lost their status and have suffered a lot from social stigma, the status of being deviant is difficult to detach from these women. In this case, all the processes and aspects of deviance work for the society’s consensus. The society imposes its power of making them sample individuals whom should be avoided. The society also influences them to change their deviant ways and compel to the norms. Furthermore, the crises felt by these women in prostitution are due to how the structures of society have shaped itself. References: Adler, P., & Adler, P. (2009). Construction of deviance, social power, context and interaction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Atchison, C., Fraser, L. & Lowman, J. (1998). “Men who buy sex: preliminary findings of an exploratory study.” In James E. Elias et al., Prostitution: On whores, hustlers and johns. New York: Prometheus Books. Becker, H. (2009). “Relativism: labeling theory.” In Adler, P., & Adler, P. (2009). Construction of deviance, social power, context and interaction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Durkheim, E. (2009). “Functionalism: The normal and the pathological.” In Adler, P., & Adler, P. (2009). Construction of deviance, social power, context and interaction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: notes on the management and spoiled identity. Prentice Hall. Laumann, E., Gagnon J., Michael, R. & Michaels, S. (1994). The social organization of sexuality: sexual practices in the United States. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press. Lim, L, (ed.) (1998). The sex sector: the economic and social bases of prostitution in Southeast Asia. Geneva: Internat Labour Off. Malinowski (1960). “Parenthood – the basis of social structure.” In Roberts, R.W. The unwed mother. New York and London: Harper and Row Publishers. United Nations Economic and Social Council, Commission on Human Rights. (1996). Report of the special rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, 52d Sess., Agenda Item 20, 35, U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/1996/100 Read More