Prostitution in the United States

Abstract

Currently, the demand for suppressing prostitu tion is far less insistent than it used to be. Some cities have experienced an apparent revival in prostitution, but this appearance is due chiefly to the visibility of the young, aggressive, attractive streetwalker. The prostitute now moves freely through all layers and areas of the community. While there is no census of prostitutes in the United States, it is believed that their numbers have not changed recently. About the same proportion of men patronize prostitutes as three decades ago, but their contacts are less frequent. The slack is taken up by nonprostitutes, in keeping with the greater sexual accessibility of women of all classes. Women become prostitutes for a complex of reasons, most of them quite rational. Men seek out prostitutes from a variety of long-recognized motives. The male prostitute is a youth who has sex relations with men. Much less is known about him, but he has been sufficiently studied to permit a rough profile. Currently, he is a potent source of venereal infection. Future public policy toward the female prostitute might include her under Social Security. Policy toward the male prostitute should start with educational measures and heightened concern for youth generally.