Prostitution, Pornography, and the Sex Industry
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Prostitution
• Deviant behavior
• Global Perspective
• Health Aspects
• Tiers of prostitution
• Age, Class, Race
Sociological
Perspectives on
Prostitution
• Functionalist
• Interactionist
• Conflict/Feminist
Pornography
• Pornography, obscenity, erotica
• Extent of pornography
• Research on Pornography
• Age, Class, Race
Sociological
Perspectives on
Pornography
• Functionalist
• Conflict/Feminist
• Interactionist
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 Deviance as objectively given:
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Any person who does not conform to established social norms is deviant.
Example: Prostitution and pornography are violations of folkways, mores, or laws
 Deviance as socially constructed:
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A behavior, belief, or condition is deviant because it is labeled as such.
 Howard Becker’s (1963) labeling theory contributed to this approach
Example: Street prostitutes are more likely to be labeled deviant than are people who work for high-priced escort services
 Deviance is rooted in the social structure of society:
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Behaviors considered immoral, distasteful, or threatening to are defined as deviant by those in power.
Example: Prostitutes are more likely to be punished than their customers
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4 behaviors identified as sexually deviant:
 Premarital sex or fornication: Sex between unmarried people
 Extramarital sex or adultery: Sex between married person and a partner not her or his spouse
 Promiscuous sex: Casual sexual relations with many partners
 Underage sex or statutory rape: Sexual relations with children below the age of consent
U.S. is one of the few industrialized nations that defines prostitution as a crime.
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Prostitution : The sale of sexual services (of oneself or another) for money or goods without emotional attachment
 Referred to as “world’s oldest profession”
 Prostitution has become a global sex industry
 Businesses benefit economically from the global sex industry. (hotels, airlines, bars, brothels)
 Demand for prostitution greatest when large numbers of men are congregated for extended time (ex: military)
 In poorest countries women and children are often sold into the sex trade.
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 Many woman see prostitution as a job or way to make money, but it is very hazardous to their health.
Problems associated with prostitution:
Physical Violence
• Bruises
• Broken bones
• Black Eyes
Health Risks
• HIV/AIDs or other
STDS
• Pelvic
Inflammatory
Disease
• Pregnancy related issues
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Emotional Health
• Combat disorder
• Depression
• Drug or Alcohol
Abuse

Estimates of 100,00 to 500,000 working prostitutes in U.S.but hard to estimate well.
Escorts or
Call Girls/Boys
Hustlers, Strippers and Table Dancers
House Girls
Street Walkers
Drug Addicts
Most
Prestigious
Least
Prestigious
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Age:
 Most prostitutes are between 17 and 24
Social Class:
 Lower income and poverty-level women and men are more likely to enter into prostitution
Race:
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Wide spread image of black women as promiscuous.
More whites arrested for prostitution than other races.
 Typical Customer is middle aged, male, white and married.
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 Insert fig. 7.1
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Prostitution offers several functions in society:
 Offers sexual gratification without a relationship.
 Serves as an outlet for those not in an ongoing sexual relationship.
 Provides an opportunity to engage in sexual practices a regular sex partner might be unwilling to engage in.
 Provides protection for the family as a social institution by distinguishing between “good/bad boys”
 Provides jobs for low-skilled people
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 Prostitution as a career is similar to choosing other occupations
 Public labeling of people in such a career as deviant—and the person’s acceptance or rejection of that label—determines whether he or she stays in that career
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 Conflict theorists:
 People in power define prostitution as illegal because they see it as immoral.
 Liberal feminists:
 Prostitution is a victimless crime that should be decriminalized
 Marxist and Radical feminists:
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Women forced to use their bodies to make money because of economic inequality
Trace the roots of prostitution to patriarchy in society
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 Pornography:
 Graphic depiction of sexual behavior through pictures or words in a manner intended to be sexually arousing
 Obscenity:
 The legal term for pornographic materials that are offensive by generally accepted standards of decency
 Erotica :
 Material depicting consensual sexual activities that are sought by and pleasurable to all parties involved
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Hard-core: is material that explicitly depicts sexual acts and/or genitals
Soft-core is suggestive but not explicit
 Pornography is profitable to many, including investors, film makers, and owners of stores that distribute such materials.
 Porn film industry a $10 billion per year enterprise.
 Many formats for porn but computer technology is most prevalent.
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 Studied by two presidential commissions with contradictory conclusions
 1970 U.S. Commission on Pornography and Obscenity found no conclusive links between pornography and sex crimes or antisocial behavior
 1986 Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography concluded that pornography is dangerous, causes sex crimes, increases aggression in males, inspires sexism, and encourages pedophilia
(adults engaging in sexual intercourse with children)
 Sociological studies have not established that watching such films and videos contributes to aggressive or violent behavior
 Most adults do not support censoring pornographic materials
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 Men watch more sexually explicit material and are more favorable toward porn than women.
 Women are more vocal in opposing porn than women
 Class-based elitism: thought that rejecting pornography is rejecting all that is vulgar, trashy, and lower class.
 White women much more likely to be portrayed in pornography
 Minorities more likely to be portrayed in rape, bondage, and sadomasochism.
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 Functionalist/Conservative:
 Prostitution and pornography need regulation and control.
 Religious conservatives: these are threats to moral values
 Conflict/Liberal:
 Decriminalize these “victimless crimes” let adults make their own choices.
 Symbolic Interactionist:
 Need to find out how people in the industry perceive their actions and what social meanings they attach to their experiences.
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