The term " prostitute " derives from the Latin " prostituere " and means to expose publicly, to put on display. The oldest profession in the world. Let's dispel this popular belief: despite its ancient origins, the longest-standing profession is that of hunter (Oliva, 2016; Calasso, 2016).
Millennia of history
Prostitute, escort, companion, sex workers: different terminologies to indicate, in simple terms, who offers a sexual performance for profit, a sort of economic transaction based on sex and money. According to French sociologist Stéphanie Pryen, prostitution is a social construction based on definitions concerning its nature, legitimacy, and related consequences; at the same time, it is also a practice or lifestyle that determines relationships between all the individuals who participate in it, for example, clients, exploiters, colleagues (Segre, 2000). Prostitution represents a trend that spans millennia of history, from the ancient Romans to the present day, and each culture tends to attribute/rework the meaning of this phenomenon. In the Greco-Roman period, a distinction was made between porné working in the streets or in the porneion and were mainly foreigners, freed slaves and of low social status; and ether taught from childhood in singing, painting and dancing so that they could entertain men during social occasions. In the ancient West, there existed the figure of the sacred prostitute which he occasionally practiced in the form of a religious ritual.
Prostitution 2.0
Currently, three types of prostitutes have been identified:
street prostitutes;
indoor prostitutes typical of brothels or houses of tolerance, run by a madam (both abolished by the Merlin law of 1958, but existing under false pretenses);
call girls who work in apartments, hotels or for escort agencies.
It is necessary to distinguish between those who voluntarily decide to sell their body and those who are forced to do so through violence and coercive means, the so-called sex slavesI add a further category that has undergone a real boom: the prostitute onlineThe concept of prostitution has evolved, catapulting the offer onto the Internet: once again, the virtual world comes into play with various advertisements for services and with the well-known cam-girlsGirls, often very young (but not only, there are also adult women, housewives, graduates, students, exhibitionists), who sign up to erotic video chat sites, use webcams to perform shows, showing their bodies in exchange for money, phone top-ups, gifts. Online sex lacks concrete physical contact, but the economic factor remains as crucial as in the real one. Furthermore, specialized sites have been created aimed at putting prostitutes and clients in contact or dating sites They are used to attract new consumers (customers = money).
Market laws
Here's a numerical overview. From 2007 to 2018, in Italy, active prostitutes went from 70 thousand to 90mila Of these, 60% work on the streets, 10% are minors, 55% are foreign women (mainly from Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Nigeria, and a strong increase in Chinese women), and clients have increased from 2,5 million to approximately 3 million (Source: Codacons). Why is paid sex such an unstoppable social phenomenon? It follows the logic of exchange, supply and demand. Two different needs, female and male, are combined. Women sell sexual services for economic reasons (sex slaves are a different matter), that is, socioeconomic and gender inequalities are addressed. commodification of sexualityMen turn to prostitutes for a variety of needs, ranging from the search for unconventional sexual relationships, to physical and emotional compensation, to the fulfillment of fantasies and transgressions. Clients with a predilection for street prostitutes have an average age between 35 and 50, with a low level of education, married or in a regular partner, and with one or more children; while those seeking sexual services online are on average 25-35 years old, single, without children, and with a medium-high level of education (Source: Codacons). It is indicative that, in 2018, the related turnover was around 3,9 billion euros (Source: Codacons).
New female entrepreneurs
Beyond moralistic and ethical discourses, some clear needs emerge. First, free sex slaves and victims of trafficking; then legalize and regularize the status of those who voluntarily choose to be prostitutes, so as to receive social security contributions; remove the monopoly from criminal organizations, thus boosting tax revenues, as already happens in the Netherlands and Germany; and finally, be able to benefit from mandatory health checks . Poverty, the pursuit of independence, wealth, and stimulation, bodies, sex, subjective needs, and money are the determining factors in the vicious cycle of prostitution. The figure of the prostitute appears multifaceted and multifaceted: from the streets to luxury apartments to webcams, we can no longer speak exclusively of poor women trying to survive, but also of entrepreneurs of their own bodies who act of complete and free will.
Arianna Caccia
With a degree in Health and Lifestyle Sociology, I have a strong interest in the study and analysis of social phenomena. Always ready to learn and improve, I love reading, writing, Vasco Rossi and Rino Gaetano, and long walks in the countryside.
