American Prostitution
Prostitution as a vocation dates back to biblical times. In the United States, hints of prostitution can be found among the Puritans in Colonial Massachusetts. ... Today, although still illegal in most areas, prostitution is readily available in every state of the Union. ... Traditionally, it has been argued that a history of childhood sexual abuse is the primary contributor to female prostitution. ... Of those women, 66% were users before they entered into prostitution and 18% concurrently began using drugs and prostituting. ... Three Faces of Prostitution The term "to prostitute" actually means to sell ones goods. Women in the prostitution trade are selling their bodies. ... Researchers and prostitutes agree that there is a hierarchy of sorts amongst the different venues of prostitution. ... However, Nevada is the only American State with legalized brothels. ... (Brents and Housebeck, 1) Prostitution Policy, by Lenore Kuo highlights the operations of a legal brothel in Nevada. ... (Kuo, 83) Call girls, sometimes referred to as escorts, are among the highest paid in the prostitution industry. ... The absence of institutions to encourage conformity to mainstream society (control theory) combined with a lack of legitimate opportunities to succeed (differential opportunity theory) are the two main sociological contributors to why women enter prostitution. Furthermore, prostitution is a poster child for victimless crimes. ... The illegality of prostitution also serves as a barrier to gaining accurate information with a large enough sample to guarantee population representation. ... Prostitution is a controversial topic inducing strong emotions from the public. ... A large moral social movement to "free women" from prostitution went on an upswing with the discovery of HIV and AIDS in the early 80s.