Prostitution: Female Atrocity?

During the late 19th- and early 20th century, the nature of society forced the working class women of America to take advantage of any means to support themselves, including prostitution. Each woman had to decide herself which work option best supported her financially.

During this time, women had limited options as far as work was concerned. As time went on, more and more women were forced to work, because they had no husband and no other means of building up a dowry for a husband. By 1910 the wage labor force was made up of about 20% of women as young as fourteen. The wages these women earned were unbelievably low, and at times as much as 80% lower than the wages men earned. Possible job opportunities for the women included options such as a textile factory, which consisted of clothing and fabric production. In these factories, the women ran high risks to their health. More wealthy people would hire these women for domestic services such as nannies, or house servants. These jobs sometimes required the woman to live at that residence, and the women ran the constant risk of being molested by a higher-class ranking individual. Department stores were also willing to hire women. However, the set-back to this type of work was that the women were sometimes expected to purchase expensive dress up clothing that most of the time they couldn’t afford. The women were advised to “round out their meager salaries by finding a вЂ?”gentleman friend”’ to purchase clothing and pleasures”(Peiss, 79).

Prostitution was a reliable work engagement that many women participated in. Why did the women feel this was their best option? Several critical, attractive benefits that only prostitution offered contributed to women’s’ choice of prostitution. Wages improved drastically with prostitution. Men always had a healthy appetite for the services of prostitution, therefore guaranteeing women constant work. Through prostitution, the women also had more independence. They had the right to control when they worked, and who their clients were. Their health was better protected as well. They weren’t running the constant health hazards that factory working provided. They could also afford clothing, their own rooms, and other luxuries.

However, there were also several critical down-falls of prostitution. The higher-class society was hard on prostitutes, claiming they only worked for silly, frivolous reasons. Society began to insist more and more that respectable women have no sexual passion. Most women submitted to this belief in order to be sacrificial and withhold their virtuous reputation. Society assumed that any woman who took part in prostitution enjoyed sex. Working women were also presumed sexual simply because they were involved with the public sphere. Therefore, prostitutes were considered the downfall of women. However, there were others in society who claimed that prostitution was a “necessary evil” which must be regulated. These members thought that in order for the men to distinguish between a “good” woman, and a wretch of a woman, prostitution was necessary. Men were expected to marry respectable women. Perhaps, these members of society also thought it necessary for the entertainment of men when they were away from home on business trips. In other words, the men may have enjoyed the freedom of spending a night with a prostitute with no further obligations to her, too much to give it up. However, they thought it should be regulated in order to keep the good women from observing such customs. Another downfall was the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease such as gonorrhea and syphilis. With medical advances being limited at that time, treatments and cures for these diseases were not only expensive but also extremely painfully. Pregnancy was also a possibility. Those who did conceive and carry to term “found a вЂ?”baby farm”’ where an older woman, sometimes a former prostitute, took care of prostitutes’ children” (Rosen, 99). Harassment was a frequently stumbled upon issue. The prostitutes who were not fortunate enough to work in high-priced establishments were “faced with frequent brutality and police harassment “(Rosen, 98). The prostitutes who were employed in the higher-priced establishments were protected from this violence.

However, the Charity Girl’s took part in different kinds of activities that some would argue is considered a different kind of prostitution. In her article, Peiss refers to a custom known as “picking up” in which a man or women would meet an unknown in order to pursue entertainment for the evening. There were even amusement establishments that were available for the sole purpose of “picking up” and those individuals seeking others who are willing to engage in these activities were advised to seek out these establishments. Treating was also another custom that Peiss mentions. The male would treat the female to a night of entertainment such as the theatre or refreshments in return for a relationship. The woman would perform sexual favors that may or may not have included intercourse.

So, what was the difference between prostitutes and the Charity girls? Prostitutes’ line of work guaranteed the client intercourse with no strings attached. To explain, they were not obligated to stick around to converse and develop a delightful relationship with the client. The Charity Girl’s and the treating that was done for them was not exchanged for sex solely. The girls were expected to be a companion, and if so desired perform sexual favors, and possibly sex, according to the man and the woman’s desire. In other words, intercourse was not guaranteed to the man, and he knew so before engaging in the treating of a female. I feel this was indeed a valid distinction. Even though the Charity Girl’s were looked upon as promiscuous just as the prostitutes were, their personal virtue could still be in existence.

The public sphere was the general idea of how both men and women should live accordingly. It was the direct result of coverture and industrial revolution. However, there were separate spheres for men and women because men often commuted because they were working outside the home. Whereas women lived at home with the children and were responsible for running the home and the servants. The public sphere included individuals involved

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