Prostitution Paper
Prostitution is a topic that is constantly discussed in our world. There is legal and illegal prostitution in our country and all over the world. The question is should prostitution be legal? This paper will break down what prostitution is, why prostitutes make more money then similarly skilled people, the different policies on prostitution, and where the supply of prostitution comes from.
According to Edlund and Korn (2002), sex work is defined as non-reproductive sex for payment. I agree with their definition of sex work (prostitution). I think that they bring up good points when supporting this definition. Edlund and Korn talk about how some people define prostitution by the number of people you sleep with or that sleeping around is promiscuous. I don’t think that either of these things can define prostitution but I do feel that there are many different ways you can explain prostitution. I think that sex workers have different reasons for why they have sex for money. The choice has a lot to do with costs and benefits. Sex work for some prostitution has greater benefits and lower costs then getting a real job. It could just be to pay the bills or even just for pleasure. The one thing that is constant though about prostitution is what Edlund and Korn argue that sex work is non-reproductive sex for payment. They argue that this is what separates it from marriage. When you get married and have kids you have a contract with that child. When someone pays for sex, they have no obligation if the prostitute were to get pregnant. (Edlund and Korn 2002)
A question involved with prostitution is why prostitutes make more money than people with similar skills with real occupations. Without looking at any information, I would say that this is because of the low supply of sex workers because it is such a tough job to have and the large amount of men that are willing to pay for sex. I say it is a “tough job” because a lot of prostitution is illegal, there
According to Edlund and Korn (2002), sex work is defined as non-reproductive sex for payment. I agree with their definition of sex work (prostitution). I think that they bring up good points when supporting this definition. Edlund and Korn talk about how some people define prostitution by the number of people you sleep with or that sleeping around is promiscuous. I don’t think that either of these things can define prostitution but I do feel that there are many different ways you can explain prostitution. I think that sex workers have different reasons for why they have sex for money. The choice has a lot to do with costs and benefits. Sex work for some prostitution has greater benefits and lower costs then getting a real job. It could just be to pay the bills or even just for pleasure. The one thing that is constant though about prostitution is what Edlund and Korn argue that sex work is non-reproductive sex for payment. They argue that this is what separates it from marriage. When you get married and have kids you have a contract with that child. When someone pays for sex, they have no obligation if the prostitute were to get pregnant. (Edlund and Korn 2002)
A question involved with prostitution is why prostitutes make more money than people with similar skills with real occupations. Without looking at any information, I would say that this is because of the low supply of sex workers because it is such a tough job to have and the large amount of men that are willing to pay for sex. I say it is a “tough job” because a lot of prostitution is illegal, there
Bibliography: Edlund, Lena and Evelyn Korn. 2002. “A Theory of Prostitution.” Journal of Political Economy 181-212 ProCon.org. 2011. “Should Prostitution be Legal?” Last modified May 5. http://prostitution.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=1315 ABC 20/20. 2011. “Prostitution in America” Last modified March 19, 2008. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=4480892&page=1#.TswMks1ps0i