I would not be a “good russian” if I did not ponder topics that have no immediate practical implication or don’t start with questions ”who’s fault is it” or “what to do?” Although … Last time couple russians explored these questions, we ended up having revolution.
I am single divorced independent woman in NYC who was part-time professional companion for last three years. It is only natural, that media stories regarding feminism, relationships and escort industry would attract my attention. I also follow arts and finance worlds, but art does not pay my bills and finance world is a whole other story.
So for now I will stick with first three. Questions I am trying to answer for myself are somewhat intervened. What is affect of these ”worlds” on each other? Do they exist in each separate universe or there is some sort of common grown where they overlap and change each other?
Old habits die hard (speaking as former research analyst) and first course of action was to venture into uncharted territories - marriage and relationships forums.
Whoooooooooa! I had learned a lot about myself. Apparently all problems that otherwise happily married women ever have in their marriages are caused by dirty diseased whores who are incapable of doing anything but chasing honest men around. In other words, prostitutes are exclusively responsible for demise of marital institution. There is one tiny wrinkle to this logic.
Prostitution has existed prior to formation of organized religion and concept of marriage.
For centuries prostitution was legal in this country. What’s even more interesting, divorce was practically non-existent. Religion and socioeconomic factors gave women very few options. They could work in minimum wage service jobs, become nuns, marry or work as prostitutes.
The only way a female could enjoy freedom , own property or make living above poverty line was to be a Whore. Let’s leave the old world behind and concentrate on what now is known as USA.
Economic growth and influx of money during Gold Rush years (1820-1900) created opportunities for enterprising women who were not afraid to go against social norms. Widespread media coverage of prostitution occurred in 1836, when famous courtesan Helen Jewett was murdered, allegedly by one of her customers. Soon after first anti-prostitution city ordinance followed. The Lorette ordinance of 1857 prohibited prostitution on the first floor of buildings in New Orleans. I wonder what the logic was there ….
In 1873 the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice was created as first institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the
public. Because we all know that left unsupervised that public can get quite frisky!
In less than two years the United States Congress jumped on morality bandwagon and passed the Comstock Law, which made illegal the delivery or transport of ”obscene, lewd, or lascivious” material and birth control information. In 1875, Congress passed its first anti-trafficing law. The Page Act of 1875 made it illegal to transport women into the nation to be used as prostitutes.
33 years later, the Bureau of Investigation was founded by the government to investigate “white slavery” by interviewing brothel employees to find out if they had been kidnapped. Out of 1106 prostitutes interviewed in one city, six said they were victims of white slavery. Makes you wonder if after interviewing 1100 willing sex workers they did not make up extra six.
The White-Slave Traffic Act (Mann Act) of 1910 prohibited so-called white slavery. It also banned the interstate transport of females for “immoral purposes”. What was the primary purpose of this law? Well, the goal was to address prostitution and immorality. Just to be on the safe side, the Supreme Court later included consensual debauchery, adultery, and polygamy under “immoral purposes”.
Legal prostitution in form of brothels became public enemy and pretty much gone underground. Invention of telephones reformed the industry by allowing women to work as “call girls”
What else was taking place then? In late 19th century, same time as Whores were investing in property with money earned in brothels, proper women finally figured out that it would be nice to have some rights. Like right to own property, or vote, or even get an education. First waves of feminism rose.
By 1920 women won their freedom and the “new woman” was born. A Woman who rejected the moral and social rules of the older generation, smoked and drank in public, had casual sex, and embraced consumer culture.
Married and single women finally got a chance to live like Whores! Interesting that demise of legal prostitution and birth of a “New Woman” took place pretty much at the same time.
Next 40 years our country kept itself busy with more changes. World war II, second wave of feminism and the Pill kept reshaping social interactions between men and women. Good Girls no longer had to fear unplanned pregnancy and the Whores kept low profile.
The Big Bang happened when California adopted the nation’s first no-fault divorce law, which was intended to promote equality between men and women. Soon all other states adopted the same law. What effect it had on society? For starters, divorce became rather expensive option for men and very lucrative opportunity for women. With some proper planning, the good girls got opportunity to enjoy their husbands financial success long after leaving them. They also no longer needed to be married in order to be respected by society.
Men took a while to catch on, but eventually even they figured things out. And the Marriage Strike began.
What else happened? The internet! Like with invention of telephone, whores were among first to embrace new technology. Call girls became on line escorts. But they this time around they faced serious competition. The good girls also discovered opportunities of the
internet and numerous “hook up” sites and chat rooms sprung up like mushrooms.
Fast forward to 2008. CL murder of Boston prostitute, media outrage, harsher anti-prostitution laws and country wide anti-trafficking arrests which somehow fail to arrest any trafficked children. Sounds very familiar. Prostitution is public enemy number one once again. There is a new twist on the old story though. Main anti-prostitution argument seems to be that at the age of equality between men and women, the only reason any adult female will knowingly and willingly become a sex worker is if she is damaged beyond all hope. All sex workers are either forced into this profession by drug habits or sex slavers.
We legalized promiscuity and criminalised prostitution. We encourage young women to be independent, yet we teach them that they are entitled to pay off for failed relationships.
How can modern institute of marriage can be compared to prostitution you say? Well, let’s look at it from point of view of equality.
Let’s say that Mary and Joe fall in love and get married. Prior to marriage joe has acquired house worth 100k. Their monthly living
expense is 1000. Each one spends 200 per month on personal hygiene, clothing, etc. So total expenses are 1400. Since mary is independent female she works. So does joe. Each makes 2000 per month. Were they truly equal, should their relationship not work out, should Mary be entitled to house and alimony? Not really. She is entitled to her share (in this case 50 percent) of assets acquired jointly and 50 percent of savings.
But what if during years of marriage Mary was spending 400 per month on personal care vs 200 spent by Joe? That brings her share even lower. Independent equal woman all of a sudden says “wait a minute … U owe me for my time” and this is exact moment when she gets paid for sex. What about all the women who stay home and raise the family? If they are truly equal, then she should be compensated appropriately by husband for her work and pay her half of joint expenses.
Ergo, sex in exchange for financial consideration is only legal if it is within boundaries of marriage.
Same is true here.
