Prostitution A Social Issue in Canada - Research Paper Example

? Prostitution A Social Issue in Canada Prostitution A Social Issue in Canada Outline Thesis Prostitution exists because it serves several functions, helps society teach its members about the difference between right and wrong and due to patriarchy. Paragraph 1: Prostitution exists because it helps society teach its members about the difference between right and wrong. Emile Durkheim believes that prostitution is necessary as it helps the society in informing its members about the difference between right and wrong. The Canadian government has levied penalties on acts associated with prostitution to inform the members of the society that this act is illegal. Paragraph 2 Prostitution serves two purposes: Purpose to satisfy the wants of the purchaser for quick and unemotional sexual relation. To safeguard the sexual morality of the society. In China the rate of prostitution is high as compared to the rate of prostitution in Canada In China, teenage pregnancy rates are lower than male pregnancy rates Provide sexual activity to those who are not in an intimate/sexual relationship. Prostitution creates employment and helps the economy and government. Paragraph 3 Conflict Theorists believe that prostitution exists because of patriarchy. Prostitution takes place as a result of male domination of female. Males are taught to be dominant and females are taught to be submissive. Conclusion Functionalist theorists are correct to assume that prostitution exists because it serves four functions and because it helps society inform its members about the difference between deviant and non deviant activities. Prostitution A Social Issue in Canada Introduction In the country of Canada, the purchase and sale of services that are sexual in nature are considered as legal, but several activities that are based on purchase and sale of sex are considered as illegal (Namaste, 2011, p.31). These activities may include: communication for the objective of prostitution that takes place in public areas and running of brothels. The activities that are conducted in the act of prostitution are considered as illegal and are charged as criminal offences in Canada, due to this trade of sex has become quite difficult in Canada and several cases have occurred when people conducting these activities have been legally held responsible. Confusion has been created because activities associated with sex trade are illegal but exchange of money for a sexual purpose is considered as legal. This writing will focus on the theories proposed by conflict and functionalist theorists regarding prostitution and this writing will seek to explain why prostitution have not been countered even when several rules and regulations are in place to counter these activities. Body Functionalist Perspective Out of the three sociological perspectives, the functionalists believe that certain quantity of crime and deviant behavior is important for the society so society can operate in a stable manner. Emile Durkheim one of the functionalist theorists believes that due to deviance, people living a particular society are able to differentiate between right and wrong (Franzese, 2009, p.12). They are able to identify deviant behaviors from those behaviors that are acceptable to the society. He states that society punishes those conduct behaviors that are deviant according to the norms of a society and when they punish deviant actors, other realize that the activities conducted by deviant actors are not to be carried out as that would lead to severe punishment. Similarly prostitution is regarded as a deviant act and activities associated with it such as human trafficking, purchase of sex, brokerage of sex and pimping are all considered as deviant activities by Canada. Those individuals who are involved in conducting these activities are considered deviant by the Canadian society and rule of law. Canada has levied heavy sanctions against these activities in order to help people of its society differentiate between right and wrong and by applying sanctions to the activities of prostitution; Canadian government is spreading a message to other members of the society that this act is deviant and not acceptable by their society. For example the Section 211 of Canadian law regards the activity of transporting an individual to a bawdy house as unlawful (Nathanson, 2006, p.164). According to functionalists, prostitution takes place as it serves several functions. The first function served by prostitution is that it is offering what is desirable to the customers of prostitutes. Purchasers of prostitution want sexual experience that is unemotional and fast in nature, they further desire for more than one sexual partner and they prefer indulging in the act of kinky sex. The second function served by functionalist theorists is that it acts as a factor that strengthens society’s sexual morality (Flowers, 19098, p.25). In other words prostitution is the key that results in strengthening of the society’s sexual morality by preserving the purity of the women of the respected members of the society. This means that the industry of sex persuades males to obtain services from prostitutes for sexual encounters that are premarital and extramarital in nature and they even use prostitutes for sexual activity which is immoral in nature. Due to this, the male gender will not have to persuade or coerce the women of respected members of the society into sexual activity that is immoral in nature. This theory regarding prostitution was proposed by the functionalist theorists named Davis and the application of this theory can easily be seen in today’s society. For example: In Western nations such as Canada, the rate of prostitution is quite lower as compared to the rate to prostitution in Asian nations such as China as women in Canada, even those who are from the respectable families of the society indulge in immoral sexual activity as compared to Asian nations where immoral sexual behavior rarely takes place and is conducted by women of the respectable families. Similarly in Canada, male students at educational campuses try to persuade female students into sexual activities and such sexual activities are regarded as premarital and immoral and similar activities can be hardly witnessed in developing nations. There are certain limitations attached to the way functionalists define the existence of prostitution as they believe that only prostitutes are women who are indulged in immoral sexual activity. Another function severed by prostitution is to satisfy the sexual needs to those males who are not in an intimate relationship and do not indulge in sexual encounters as they do not maintain a sexual relationship. Sex is a need for both the genders, it assists them in living healthy and sex ensures the wellbeing of the individuals. Sex is necessary and functionalists perceive that prostitutions assist individuals in obtaining sexual activity so they can live a healthy life. The last function served by prostitution is that it provides employment to those individuals who are not well educated and does not have the required skills to perform other jobs. In indirect manner, prostitution is assisting the economy by creating jobs for the unemployed individuals of the society. If individuals who do not have the required knowledge, skills and abilities to obtain a job, they will become dependant on the government for their survival which will impact the economy in a negative manner. Thus, prostitution saves the economy as prostitutes are not dependant on the government for survival and bread and butter. UN Statistics Division, estimates 1995-2010 Per 1,000 women 15–19 years old, source Figure 3 (UN, 2012) \ Figure 1 (Statistics Canad, 2012) Figure 2 (Aimee Barnes, 2012) China Female Sex Worker population (2007- 2008) Canadian rate of prostitution 2010 Conflict Theorists Perspective While defining and explaining the nature of prostitution, conflict theorists resort to feminism for their concepts. According to feminists, functionalist theorists only view a society that is sexist in nature and believe that immoral males are not threatening the society’s moral order and only the prostitutes who are indulged in the act of immoral sex are a threat to the moral order of the society. This clearly explains the reasons due to which women are mostly arrested for conducting the act of prostitution as compared to men who are indulged in the same activity. The main reason due to which men are not considered as a threat to the moral existence of the society is that they reflect the dominant class of the gender divide and are expected to manipulate and exploit women. Functionalists believe that as men exploit women and dominate them, they end up creating the system of prostitution and they even indulge in the act of creating demand and supply for the act of prostitution. According to the demand side, when males are young, they are taught by the society to be dominant over women and as they reach adulthood, the society teaches them to gain domination over women regarding sex which they realize and learn when they have sex with prostitutes. When a young adult does not want to be indulged in the act of prostitution or purchase of sex work, he is persuaded by his peer members to indulge in the act. The conflict theorists are of the idea that society teaches the female gender to be submissive to the male gender when they are in their early ages and as they grow into adults they are taught to be submissive to the adult male in areas such as play, sexual activity and jobs. The conflict theorists believe that women are pushed to lower paying jobs and entry level jobs, such as the task of prostitution where pay is low. These factors clearly explain the reasons due to which prostitution had a higher prevalence rate in conventional societies where gender inequality was highly practiced as compared to the current modern societies where gender equality is at the lower end. The society which expects the male gender to be dominant over the female gender is the main reason due to which prostitution takes place and prostitution itself promotes gender inequality (Thio, 1998, p.214). Feminists are of the idea that prostitution reflects subordination of women to men and by the act of selling sex to the male gender, prostitutes represent a message that women are allowed to be used like an object by the male gender. Conclusion The functionalist side of the theory of prostitution seems to be more accurate than the conflict theorist’s side of theory of prostitution. Emile Durkheim states that certain quantity of deviance is necessary for the society so the society can help its members differentiate between right and wrong and it does so by punishing those who are involved in deviant act. This can be witnessed in the rules and regulations set by the Canadian government against the activities associated with prostitution. This is because the functionalists state that prostitution takes place as there is a demand for prostitutes and without demand there could not be any kind of supply. Secondly the functionalists are true in believing that in regions such as Canada where women involve in immoral sexual activity, prostitution rates are lower as it can be witnessed in figure 1 and 2 that the prostitution rate in China where women are less involved in immoral sexual practices, prostitution rate is high and in Canada the prostitute arrest rate is low because women are involved in immoral sexual activity. This can again be witnessed in figure three in which Canada experiences higher rate of teenage pregnancy than China. References Age-specific fertility rates by major area, region and country, 1995-2100 (births per 1,000 women). (n.d.). United Nations. Retrieved December 23, 2012, from esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Excel-Data/DB06_Fertility_IndicatorsByAge/WPP2010_DB6_F2_AGE_SPECIFIC_FERTILITY.XLS Aimee Barnes » Sex, Drugs, Weapons and Cash: China vs United States. (n.d.). Aimee Barnes. Retrieved December 23, 2012, from http://www.aimeebarnes.com/2009/07/06/sex-drugs-weapons-and-cash-china-vs-united-states-2/ Canada at a Glance 2012 - Crime. (n.d.). Statistics Canada: Canada's national statistical agency / Statistique Canada : Organisme statistique national du Canada. Retrieved December 23, 2012, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/12-581-x/2012000/cri-eng.htm Flowers, R. B. (1998). The prostitution of women and girls. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co.. Franzese, R. J. (2009). The sociology of deviance: differences, tradition, and stigma. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas. Namaste, V. K. (2011). Sex change, social change: reflections on identity, institutions, and imperialism (2nd ed.). Toronto: Women's Press. Nathanson, P., & Young, K. K. (2006). Legalizing misandry: from public shame to systemic discrimination against men. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. Thio, A. (1998). Sociology (5th ed.). New York: Longman. Read More