Is Prostitution a Societal Problem or a Business

There is a famous saying that “prostitution is the world’s oldest career.” Undeniably, historical records show that the profession has existed for centuries (Pruitt, 2018). Prostitution is a controversial topic, with proponents and opponents. In many social settings, prostitution signifies a huge societal problem, while for others, t is just a business. It typically involves the exchange of money for a type of sex service. While prostitution has helped various people earn a living by entering into a sex contract, its risks outweigh the benefits to society and hence is a severe social problem.

 Prostitution exposed people to various risks, including sexual exploitation and violence. In a study of youths in South France who engaged in prostitution, the findings indicated that prostitution encourages violent behaviors towards women, and plays a part in gender inequality and undesirable sexual representations (Pape, 2018). The distorted sexual attitudes can persist and become problematic later during social contact with members of society who disagree with such perceptions. There are risks that people might suffer both physically and mentally when they experience any form of sexual violence promoted by prostitution. Prostitution slowly rips apart valued societal values that guide people’s beliefs and actions.

There is a politically correct view among many liberal-minded people that prostitution is a means for people to earn a living, therefore it is a business. However, these politically correct stances fail to point out is that the system of prostitution is a reflection of massive issues affecting society. It is common to find problems, for example, poverty and sexual violence, making people vulnerable to entering the prostitution business. In such a case, prostitution does not agree with the sex work business tenets that prostitutes join voluntarily and part of their rights or legitimate profession (Thompson, 2017).  Fundamentally, is more of a social problem than a business, as the trading of sex services dehumanizes others.

References

Pape, P. (2018). Prostitution and its impact on youth: violence, domination, and inequality. ANTYAAJAA: Indian Journal of Women and Social Change, https://doi.org/10.1177/2455632717744312

Pruitt, M. (2018). The social implications of prostitution. Melody Pruitt Portfolio. 3. Retrieved from, https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/m_pruitt/3

Thompson, Lisa L. (2017). The global supply chain of sexual exploitation and the necessity of combating the demand for commercial sex. Dignity: A Journal on Sexual Exploitation and Violence: 2: (3), DOI: 10.23860/dignity.2017.02.03.08

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