Female Prostitution, Male Prostitution, Kingsley Davis, feminists
Prostitution as the world's oldest profession gained prominence during the Victorian period, a time of rigid moral principles. Feminists consider prostitution a vehicle or medium used to demean the female figure within the society, as women who are not chaste are labeled as ‘whores.' Prostitution is synonymous with moral degradation both in the past and present societies and for this reason, prostitution is discouraged and shunned upon by many within the society (Coy 2012). In most scenarios, it is considered a criminal offence. Normally, prostitution involves women giving out sexual favors to men in exchange of money, or any other valuable item placed on the table. However, times have evolved and in this day and age it is not abnormal to come across male prostitutes (Rochelle & Dalla 2011). The emergence of male prostitution has certainly transformed societal conventional perception of the practice. As a result, the traditional picture of how the female and male gender are expected to behave has been destroyed. This paper reveals how prostitution promotes gender inequality and also portrays society's perception of each gender involved in the practice.
According to Kingsley Davis, feminists have always considered the Victorian society as one founded on double standards (Marlowe 1997). In this context to be precise, the Victorian society did not abhor men who sort sexual favors from prostitutes, yet shunned the women who practiced it as society's degenerates (Marlowe 1997). However, with the emergence of male prostitution this perception of a traditional society has certainly been affected.
[...] A common trend that has emerged within male prostitution is pay dates (Marlowe 2011). Pay dates involve men meeting other available men through dating sites; they arrange on dates centralizing sex in exchange of money and other enticing rewards. Surprisingly men who partake in pay dates especially those who give out sexual favors do not consider themselves prostitutes (Rochelle & Dalla 2011). In fact, they consider prostitution as term reserved for women who dot the streets at the wee hours of the night. [...]
[...] Female prostitution, when analyzed along male prostitutes, takes a whole different perspective. Within the gay or homosexual world community prostitution is received with indifference. This is because gay men are not just sexually defiant but also proud of their sexual orientation (Flowers 2006). Female prostitutes are often portrayed as victims, with no self- esteem and degraded by their profession, but the same cannot apply for male prostitutes. Male prostitutes come out as self-assured, in control, tough, invulnerable and turning tricks (Marlowe 2011). [...]
[...] The mentality of men as the superior breed also applies in prostitution. As I mentioned earlier, male prostitutes are highly sorted out by individuals in power. The nature of the business in this context favors men against women (Michael 2011). Male sex workers together with their male patrons rarely face the law compared to female prostitutes. By placing one gender above the law evidently shows the society's open favoritism of one gender at the expense of the other (Michael 2011). [...]
[...] B. (2006). Sex Crimes: Perpetrators, Predators, Prostitutes, and Victims. Chicago: Charles C Thomas Publisher. Jeffreys, S. (2009). The Idea of Prostitution. Chicago: Spinifex Press. Klein, P. (2010). Confessions of an Online Male Prostitute. [...]
[...] With no other decent option to turn to, women pursue prostitution, yet bounded a the male's authoritative figure. In female prostitution, women prostitutes are managed by who are mostly men. These pumps have no respect or remorse for the female prostitutes under their watch and discard them whenever they feel like objects (Marlowe 2011). The same, however cannot be said for male prostitutes. A majority of adult male prostitutes run their show and are mostly not answerable to anyone (Marlowe 2011). [...]
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