What is the importance of prostitution?

Answer 1

Prostitution (also known as the sex trade) is often described as the world's oldest profession, and it is very widely practiced, in cities everywhere. It is generally regarded as an unfortunate aspect of civilization, along with Alcoholism, compulsive gambling, and other vices, although it would be a mistake to assume that all prostitutes are the same, or that all are unfortunate people. There is a wide spectrum in terms of what prostitutes are like and what their social conditions are. There are prostitutes who are effectively the slaves of their pimps (often known as "white slavery" to distinguish it from the enslavement of Africans for agricultural purposes in the American south, although that kind ended some hundred and fifty years ago). There are child prostitutes, sometimes kidnapped, but sometimes sold into slavery by their own parents, or actually pimped by their parents. Many prostitutes are drug addicts, who depend upon prostitution as a means of being able to afford the drugs to which they are addicted. Some prostitutes are quite affluent and charge large amounts for their services; these are sometimes called "high price call girls". (They are said to be call girls because you hire them by phone.) Many prostitutes feel trapped (and may literally be trapped, by their pimps) yet others are happy to be working in the sex trade and consider it to be a good line of work. Prostitutes can be female or male, although the great majority are female. Prostitution is subject to various different laws in different jurisdictions; it is legal and practiced openly in the state of Nevada, in prostitute ranches. Everything considered, prostitution is a significant part of society, like it or not, and therefore it does have some importance. Many people would like to abolish it, but so far no one has been able to do so.

Answer 2

Being an ancient enterprise, prostitution is worthy of study simply because of the pervasiveness. Other venues of study would include disease vectoring and sexual behavior.