Sex Work and Feminist Perspectives

This assignment delves into the complex relationship between sex work and feminist theory. Students are tasked with critically examining various scholarly articles that analyze prostitution from different angles, including its impact on women's lives, the influence of historical context, and the diverse viewpoints within feminism itself. The analysis should consider both the risks and potential agency associated with sex work, ultimately contributing to a nuanced understanding of this multifaceted issue.

Running head: SEX AND CRIMES
Sex and Crimes
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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SEX AND CRIMES
Introduction
The street prostitution is involved with the solicitation of the customers from a common
public places, especially from the streets. The sex workers also get customers from other public
places such as benches, parks and other public places (Crofts and Brents 2014). The sex workers
engaged in this activity are dressed in a provocative manner and they give various options to the
customers where the sex act may be performed. There are various places where the sex act may
be conducted such as the customer’s car, apartment of the sex worker, rented room or in a
secluded street area (Crofts and Brents 2014). The feminist theory of the street prostitution
emphasizes on the fact the women’s poverty is one of the reasons of the phenomenon and also
due to the patriarchal society in which the males hold dominant figure in the heterosexual
relationships (Crofts and Brents 2014). The women are merely treated as sex objects, the sole
purpose of whom is to give pleasure to men.
This kind of prostitution is often banned in countries and they are considered as illegal,
even when the other forms of prostitution may be allowed in those countries. In Australia, the
street prostitution is strictly prohibited, except the area of New South Wales, where it is legal
(Sanders 2017). The sex prostitution is considered as a social problem as it degrades the morality
of the society. This act is often degrading to womanhood and in many cases women are beaten,
robbed and raped while doing the sexual acts. This essay would discuss the issue of street
prostitution in detail and how it is socially constructed as a serious in the history, legislation, and
media.
Discussion
Problem of Sex Prostitution

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SEX AND CRIMES
The street prostitution is one of the many forms of the human trafficking in which there is
implied sexual exploitation (Crofts and Brents 2014). The concept of prostitution is concerned
with the selling of sex and it is directly related with the financial factor (Crofts and Brents 2014).
There are evidences of instances when the women are forced into the act as they have no other
option than to support her family.
As opined by Peiss (2016), the historical representation of the street prostitution
concerning the sexuality of the working class. During the period of 1880-1920, there was an
urban subculture in which the young women were found to be engaged in premarital sexual acts
on the public places such as theater, dance hall, streets and often workplaces (Crofts and Brents
2014). They were working class women and hence they had the freedom to enter in the pleasure
marketplace (Peiss 2016). Experts opined that this was an increasing social problem as the idea
of premarital sex, social nature of sex and the awkward advances of women were degrading to
the moral standards of the society.
As argued by Nagy and Powell (2016), the Red Light District of Sydney is a
controversial area in which there are considerable debates regarding the highly progressive
policies. This area is often perceived as a “free zone of entertainment” for gaining adult fun
(Aalbers and Sabat 2012). Experts opine that the cultural globalization has been instrumental in
the visible format of prostitution displayed in Sydney.
Problem of Sex Prostitution displayed in media
Hall (2012) opines that the period after 1880 has witnessed major changes in the
behavior, attitudes and the various gender relations, which has also impacted the degree of street
prostitution. There have been clear connections between street prostitution, poverty and

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requirements for survival (Nagy and Powell 2016). There were several social debates that
regarding the highest class of sex workers like Skittles who always mixed with the social elite
class. There are often issues of kerb crawling, a term which is concerned with the act of
soliciting one person for the act of driving the motor vehicle in areas where there is a prevalence
of street prostitution (O'neill 2013).
Social construct of prostitution
The findings of Campbell (2015) reveal that the street prostitution is considered as
“public nuisance” many parts of Australia. The behavior of the prostitutes is also often witnessed
as a criminal offence. The criminal offence is often caused due to the visible prostitution through
the common mass and hence it is considered as a nuisance (Nagy and Powell 2016). The
nuisance behavior of the street prostitutes often leads to disturbances in the surrounding
community, which is degrading for the social environment (Campbell 2015). The public places
like parks are meant for appropriate for societal interactions and hence this act is supposed to
have a degrading effect on the emotional well-being of younger population (Campbell 2015). In
fact, the sex-workers often display anti-social behavior, which is not acceptable to the society.
This has resulted in the viewing of the street prostitution as a “sex crime” problem.
Legal nature of prostitution
The findings of Cook (2013) reveal that the street prostitution is not supported legally in
most parts of the world. This is because of the fact this phenomenon do more harm to women.
There instances of abuses and undue advantages taken by the pimps when they find girls
standing on the streets at the wee hours of night (Campbell 2015). In fact, there are also
increased instances of the sexually transmitted diseases among the street sex workers (Cho,

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SEX AND CRIMES
Dreher and Neumayer 2013). This is also due to the fact that there is innumerable unprotected
sex and hence the health of the women community is at stake. As found out by Love (2015), the
street prostitutes suffer from noticeable health disparities since they are not exposed to the
healthcare benefits at a consistent basis. The female sex workers are more susceptible to
increased instances of mental disorders, HIV/AIDS, violence and physical/mental health issues
(Cho, Dreher and Neumayer 2013). This is also one of the reasons that street prostitution is
considered as a social evil, which is not only degrading the moral standards of the society but it
is also deteriorating the health status of the community.
It is highly argued that legal nature of the prostitution would eliminate many problems
associated with the issues of street prostitution (Cho, Dreher and Neumayer 2013). If the
conditions are right, then the legal nature of the street prostitution would lead to an increase in
the safety, health and the job satisfaction of the sex workers (Shannon et al. 2015). The street
workers should also be encouraged to engage in the use of condoms and the several other safe-
sex practices, which are often mandatory in legal brothels.
Criminal nature of prostitution
The findings of Kingston and Thomas (2017) reveal that the street prostitution is a
serious and controversial issue as there is a perceived risk of crime. This is because of the fact
that there are certain undesirable outcomes of street prostitution such as soliciting male residents
in particular areas, prepositioning of the women residing in local areas and others (Cho, Dreher
and Neumayer 2013). The state governments of several countries have used “Anti-social
behavior orders” (ASBO) and other civil injunctions have played a major role in reducing kerb

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SEX AND CRIMES
crawling and soliciting activities. This has also lead to the protection of the local communities
against the distress, harm and alarm (Kingston and Thomas 2017).
The prostitution of Australia is governed by the state as well as territory laws in which
the country is said to be fairly homogenous in the attitude towards the sex work (Silverstein
2017). There are different prostitution laws in different parts of Australia.
Conclusion
Any form of activity which exposes the female population into morally degrading
behavior and abuse would definitely consider as the social problem. The street prostitution has
been an annoying offence which not only lowers the societal standards but also leads to health
burden of the country. The street sex workers are often subjected to long hours of work and they
are also not treated well by the society. This problem of street prostitution is haunting the society
since a long time and it is going to be aggravated in the future also. There are instances when the
street sex workers are considered as a public nuisance and hence they are considered as a
“problem” in the society. Though there are several legislations that are being implemented to
encourage prostitution, but the overall issue of street prostitution is made illegal in most of the
countries.
There should be adequate laws that protect and safeguard the interests of the sex workers
so that they get their respect and able to enjoy a better quality of life. The issue of street
prostitution is important for the consideration of the society as this would lead to a better
standard of living of the country’s population.

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SEX AND CRIMES
References
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Cho, S.Y., Dreher, A. and Neumayer, E., 2013. Does legalized prostitution increase human
trafficking?. World Development, 41, pp.67-82.-------
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X12001453
Cook, I., 2013. Sex, education and the city: The urban politics and pedagogies of Kerb Crawling
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Hall, L.A., 2012. Sex, gender and social change in Britain since 1880. Palgrave Macmillan.---
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