19th Century Prostitution

Assignment: Free write for about fifteen minutes (using a computer on either a word doc or blog entry) on what your conceptions of womanhood during the Victorian era are and how Whitman would have been accepting or critical of the prostitute. Do some further online research (because the internet is fast and convenient!) on the gender roles during the 19^th century, the links above are only a start- consider how women lived in both the "angel in the house" world and the brothel world. What was the typical upbringing of a woman who ended up in either situation? How might womanhood and the controversial issue of prostitution be relevant today? 

15 minute Pseudo Free Write: 

Evidently prostitution in the 19th century was extremely common and occurred on various levels. 1 woman in 36 people were prostitutes or 1 woman per 12 adult males.  Some prostitutes emerged from low economic backgrounds and used their bodies as ways to support themselves financially. This is not too different from today's prostitution. Often these women were either orphans or 1/2 orphans where their families could not support them. They were not entirely a lost cause: there was much effort put forth to restore these "fallen women" and some even ended up marrying former clients--an obvious afterlife is seen in the movie, Pretty Woman. 

Two examples of the different types of prostitution are courtesans and street walkers. 

Courtesans were mistresses kept by men who were of the bourgeoisie or nobility and chose this life style for the sake of freedom and guaranteed luxury. This type of prostitution was designated high class and also referred to as an escort. This woman might stick to a few long term clients rather than high quantity clientele.

Street walkers either walk the streets or work in the brothels. The commonality of these kinds of sex workers increased the spread of Venereal Disease, gonorrhea, and syphilis. There was even a Contagious Disease Act passed in 1866 which required prostitutes to pass pelvic examinations in order to combat the spread of these diseases. The men were never required to be examined because that was considered demeaning.