Prostitution in Western Societies

Prostitution is the sale of sexual services, which may consist of any sexual acts, including those not involving copulation. Payment most commonly is in the form of money. Although the majority of prostitutes have been women, male prostitution and prostitution of prepubescent children also occur. In general, prostitutes are drawn from segments of society that are economically and politically marginal.

Probably the earliest form of the institution was temple, or religious, prostitution. The factors contributing to independent, non-religious prostitution were increasing urbanization, the growth of money based economy, and the displacement of persons from a traditional, village-centered way of life.

Solon (C.639-559 BC) established state brothels in Athens, the employees of which came from the lowest strata of society. Later, independent prostitutes were regulated and taxed. The hetaerae were courtesans who provided various kinds of entertainment including music, poetry, and intellectually stimulating conversation and companionship.

In ancient Rome, prostitute were licensed by the state and taxed. Patrician women were forbidden to engage in prostitution. Woman who were neither patricians nor slaves but relied on other means of income (for example, actresses, musicians, dancers), were free to sell sexual services without registration or taxation. Male prostitutes were also numerous in Rome but were not regulated by the state.

The early Christian church excommunicated (AD 305) all prostitutes on moral grounds. Prostitution, nevertheless, remained a well established institution, and it provided an important source of tax revenue to the imperial state.

In the High Middle Ages, prostitution comes under the protection and regulation of municipal governments. The crackdown against prostitution in early modern Europe coincided with the outbreak of a syphilis epidemic and the repressive stance toward sexuality of Reformation morality.

Female prostitution greatly expanded in modern Europe, while its practice was increasingly condemned. Beginning in the 19th century, the rise of capitalism brought increasing numbers of women into the labor force at the lowest possible wages, and many turned to occasional prostitution to supplement their incomes. In the cities many became involved in regular prostitution either through forcible recruitment or as an alternative to unemployment.