Prostitution in Europe in Nineteenth Century

This essay explores the conditions of prostitution in 19th century Europe and the contemporary attitudes towards it. It investigates the problems and controversies raised by prostitution in society.

Running Head: Sociology
Prostitution in Europe in Nineteenth Century
Essay
System04104
6/11/2019

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Introduction
The estimation or prediction about the numbers of prostitutes in 19th century in
Europe is almost difficult. No one can predict or estimate the exact number of females who
involved in such type of work in Europe. In 1791, a police magistrate estimated (as he used
the word ‘estimate’ and conjecture) that there were 50,000 women involved in prostitution
work in London at that time (Vanwesenbeeck, 2013). The term ‘prostitute’ was not used
entirely as people used in recent times. However, the prostitute refers to a woman who sold
her body for sex and because of some reasons like money or even some women was involved
because prostitution was their family work. In the 19th century prostitution was very common
in the society and people use it more usually as they refer it to a women who had illegitimate
affair or children from another men or when a women living with a man without marriage or
women who had relation with a men without any social bonding like marriage. However, as
an estimate, half of the prostitutes out of 50000 perhaps had a relationship with a male person
and they were in relationship for pleasure rather than money and even less than half of them
refer to those works and business what we today called prostitution (Wagenaar, 2017). This
essay shows the conditions of Prostitution in 19th century in European countries and about the
contemporary attitudes of people to sexuality, gender, and class. This article also helps to
investigate and understand the problems and controversies which prostitution raised in
society.
Prostitution in 19th century in Europe
The term prostitution was used as a ‘great social evil’ in 19th century by
contemporaries. The impact of prostitution in the society was not only one people’s moral
and their health rather prostitution also shows the people’s thought about it. The people
understand it against the moral. The thought of people about the prostitution is that it is a sin
and vice. The people thought about the prostitute were that they failed to meet the idle of
middle class and social class and prostitution is one of the great threats for the nation’s health
and delivery a sin moral implication in the society (Davidson, 2010).

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(Source: Matthews, 2015)
Prostitution was like a trade in the European country in the 19th century and people
were thinking that it affects the every level of the society (Palacký, 1948). However, in
European country the term prostitution differs country by country. In Netherland and
Germany, there were very permissive prostitution policies related to prostitution and these
two countries were very attractive place for tourists for international sex tourism (Green,
2014). The Amsterdam’s prostitution windows were one of the famous prostitution places in
all over the world in 19th century. However, in London and France, the prostitution is one of
the trades in the country in 19th century and most of the women who are involved in
prostitution were belonging to working class. However, the involvement of women in selling
bodies for sex generally seen in suburbs and West end of the Europe where the women
involved in this type of act (Day, 2010). However, most of the women were force in
prostitution by the people and family members because of it was there family trade. The
impact of prostitution was not only on the health of the women rather it spread many
unethical and immoral messages in the society. However, it is one of the major things that
most of the prostitutes were wrongly presumed by people in that era (Evered & Evered,
2012). The perception and though of people about prostitution was generally determined by
the values and culture which is generally differ from societies. In France and England, there
were many charities were established by the government and other state level regulatory

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bodies to reform prostitutes and provide them a new life. Some of the prostitutes accept the
offers of government while some of the prostitutes denied doing so because they enjoyed
their profession and they were habituate of it. However, in some countries of Europe,
prostitution was treated as the recognised profession and the prostitutes were treated as the
workers who were involved in a trade of selling bodies for sex for money (Green, 2014). In
some countries, it was immoral and uncultured activities and women who involved in such
profession were punished or facing imprisonment or even some were killed by the people or
society for the same work (Hacke, 2017).
(Source: Jahnsen & Wagenaar, 2017)
Few countries in Europe treated the prostitutes with same severity and in those
countries where it was illegal or against the laws, many women were suffering with strict
punishment in the society. In many societies of the European countries required young girls
in prostitution while in the some society prostitutes were forced to pay tax. In some of the
countries of Europe, prostitutes wear a distinctive dress. Dress played a major role for the
street-walkers women and it was a great factor in identifying the prostitutes on the streets as
they hold up their skirts on the street little higher. The dress of prostitute helped people to
identify them and the gesture and posture mixture with their dress was helpful in identifying
such type of women on the street (Jahnsen & Wagenaar, 2017). However, the most of the

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European countries understands that prostitution was really a dangerous social sin and it
affected the health of people adversely. Prostitution was so common in Israel as well. The
prostitution was part if Hebrew Bible in which there are many article and clauses added. In
the story of Hebrew Bible, prostitutes wait for the men on the side of a highway and wait for
travellers who were assumed to be customers of prostitutes. The social structure had lots to
do with popular perception about the prostitution as many researches and books were written
and published by the upper and middle classes people and they mentioned about the lower
social order people and their involvement in the prostitution (Peniston, 2012). However, the
perception of people in Britain about the men was that man could not marry until he could
not support a family. However, the high level of unemployment among people in the
European country lead to the prostitution work and both sex were equally involved in
prostitution.
(Source: Levy & Jakobsson, 2014)
According the Vice-Ridden, criminal and poor, it was Studied on the underclass in
newly urbanised cities in 1830s discovered that prostitute were the abundant part of the
society (Levy & Jakobsson, 2014). Poverty was distinguishably linked with the prostitution
and the higher class of the society used the prostitution for their personal sexual needs and

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entertainment. The difference between the income of middle class and lower middle class
was the major cause behind prostitution in Europe and it was also nurtured by the European
countries just like as the manufacturing industries (Roberts, 2000). The industrial revolution
in the 18th century was also a major cause that enhanced and increased the level of
prostitution in the European countries. The industrialisation helps the people to get involved
in employment, it increased the income of people, and they sped that money on their sexual
needs. These needs of people in France, England, and Netherland etc. open the gate for
prostitution in the society (Minichiello & Scott, 2014).
(Source: Matthews, 2015)
The rising income of people because of revolutionary moments and the system of
regulationalism were two main reason of increasing prostitution in 19th century. Most of the
women were involved in prostitution trade in European countries and some of them forcibly
involved without their consents. The poor women were generally involved in such type of
business to earn money for the family while in some countries, it was the profession of family
and the generation follow the same sexual tradition of the ancestors (Blackshaw & Wieber,
2012). The white slave trade was so famous in those times where the young girls were treated
as the sex slave by the upper middle-class people (Scoular, 2010). The consideration of
people about prostitution was that normally women were the part of prostitution, but it has
been mentioned by many authors that men were also actively involved to manage the

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prostitution as trade. However, there were many incidents that people treated the prostitution
as the well-organised business in the country and France was the good example of it where
paying for sex was illegal in the country but paying to prostitute was not illegal. The Brothel
of France treated the prostitution as the well profitable sale of services and treated this
industry same as the manufacturing industries and nurture them to develop (Johnson &
Wilentz, 2012).
Prostitution was obviously a body issue along with a social issue but in Europe, paid
sexual relations were also a gender issue. The inequality in society in the European country
was also a major cause behind prostitution because people differentiate or avoid to providing
education to girls in many countries (Matthews, 2015). It was the major cause that
uneducated and unemployed women easily get involved in the prostitution work. People were
not very open about the girls and women’s contribution in the society. Most of the people in
19th century treated women as their sex slave and use them for their sexual needs (Schrover,
2013). The gender biasness and inequality in society for the women was the major cause
behind prostitution in European countries. However, the thinking of people in France about
prostitution was just like the service industry as they provide all the facilities and formulated
laws and policies to enhance the prostitution in the county. France and Netherland were
known for their prostitute businesses. However, the some regulationlist condemned the role
of prostitutes in the society and said that their immorality affect the society and the culture.
The role of prostitutes in the society was really a questionable thing for the people in the
European country. As people in the 19th century were not very open about the women and
not thinking about the women education and employment, such type of thought among
people force the women to involve in prostitute work. Even the high income of upper social
class and their sexual needs provided opportunity to increase the prostitution in the countries
(Herdt, 2018).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the prostitution was treated as shadow I 19th century that ruins the
middle and lower class family. Most of the women during the 19th century were involved in
prostitution business because they need money and their family suffers from the poverty and
hunger. The major involvement of lower class and lower middle class in this profession was
so common. However, very few incidents were found were women were involved this
profession by their own consent, otherwise the force of poverty, unemployment, and social

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inequality between men and women were the major causes behind prostitution in the
European countries. Despite being all these efforts of government and local bodies to abolish
the prostitution from the society and reform the life of women, the prostitution was increasing
with tremendous rate in the society because of the poor perception of people about the
women and discrimination based on gender. The poverty of lower middle class and sexual
need and money of the upper middle class provide the basis for prostitution in Europe to
grow and increase with fast speed. The thought of people in the 19th century about the
gender and sex was the major phenomenon in increasing the prostitution in the different
European and Asian countries. The British rule was also responsible for encouraging the
prostitution in the European country as they captured many females and girls from their
colonialism countries for their sexual needs. The increasing income and strengthen in the
economy because of the industrial revolution was also a cause that helped prostitution to
grow in the European countries.

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