# Subsidized prostitution **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 25, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573 "2009-12-25T19:12:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/61 "2009-12-31T21:51:35Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Horniness differential? > > I have been told for years now that women are just as frisky as guys. > > The difference is emotional: Women seem to form emotional bonds with their sex mates faster. > > I am mistaken? According to an acquaintance of mine who was a very high-paid escort, she had to deal with quite a few marriage proposals and men wanting to take her ‘away from all of this.’ To what isn’t exactly clear – some had wives, some didn’t – but she told me that it was obvious they’d seen _Pretty Woman_ too many times. (Not that this is the first problem that jumps out at me regarding the OP.) ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/62 "2009-12-31T23:22:51Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > If you just want to ejaculate, you can use your hand. You keep using this argument. I have never been with a prostitute but I can assure you that in many if not most instances ejaculating with someone else involved is much more fun than using your hand. Of course that may only be my experience, other people may find that their hand is preferable. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/63 "2010-01-01T00:12:06Z")
> [@Mr\_Smashy](#): > > Now, you see, you had to say this. > > I would have bought it if you said she went up to an 11. But 13? Maybe she was like an 8 but invited over a friend who was like a 5. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/64 "2010-01-01T04:49:49Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > The average guy does [not](http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/PollVault/story?id=156921&page=1) [want](http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/26/relationships2) extramarital sex. Average guys won’t admit to it. ---
**Author:** ![annelions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@annelions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annelions)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/65 "2010-01-01T13:49:15Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I read once that the Marquis de Sade proposed state brothels in which **all** women would be required to serve at some point in their lives. > > [shrug] Makes no less sense than military conscription . . . You mean the Marquis de Sade who was known for abusing women in general; prostitutes, servants and whomever else he could? The Marquis de Sade from whence we get ‘sadism’? If he did even half the things that Wikipedia (or anywhere else) says, I wouldn’t give his (supposed) thoughts on such matters much weight. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/66 "2010-01-01T21:01:10Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > No average guys anywhere want extramarital sex? Please get back to me when you’ve read your cite (and you live on planet Earth). Nice try. Here’s what you actually said. > [@](#): > > All men think they deserve more sex and can ignore their vows of monogamy, if they can get away with it. The studies that I linked to show that about 80 percent of men have not cheated on their partner. Further, a similar percentage believe that monogamy is desirable, so we can chuck the hypothesis that men remain faithful only because they fear getting caught. > [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Average guys won’t admit to it. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/67 "2010-01-01T22:41:26Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Cite? Me. I’m average in some minor aspects. I’m not actually married, though, but if I were… ---
**Author:** ![adhay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@adhay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhay)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/68 "2010-01-02T13:34:06Z")
> [@lurking\_guest](#): > > … > And THIS is how monogamy came to be. > … 🙂 Without institutionalized monogamy, institutionalized prostitution would be a non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![adhay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@adhay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhay)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/69 "2010-01-02T13:47:11Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > a liberal politician who had herself worked as a prostitute, > > Isn’t this redundant? > > Regards, > Shodan Let’s be fair. There are few members of Congress not actively engaged in fucking us at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/70 "2010-01-02T15:11:22Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > You keep using this argument. I have never been with a prostitute but I can assure you that in many if not most instances ejaculating with someone else involved is much more fun than using your hand. Of course that may only be my experience, other people may find that their hand is preferable. Myeah? It’s also more fun to be able to go around hitting random people that annoy you, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a behavior that’s encouraged. What relevance does it have that sex with a person is more enjoyable? Is “sex with a person” more important than trying to decrease the number of cases of women being raped, forcefully addicted to drugs, and beaten? I personally can’t justify the latter for the sake of the former. If the cost of saving millions of women around the world from poor living conditions is to look at porn on the internet and jack off to it, personally, I’d view that as a pretty decent trade-off. There are many worse trade-offs in the world that are still commonplace. ---
**Author:** ![Stentor\_2.5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@Stentor\_2.5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stentor_2.5)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/71 "2010-01-02T15:25:11Z")
I think one of the main problems in discussing prostitution is that most of the current research on prostitution concentrates on streetwalkers and the like. In part this is because the better-off prostitutes are generally discreet enough to avoid becoming research subjects. By focusing on the most troubled segment of the sex work industry researchers skew their data. A second issuue that also troubles me is that debate is almost always focused on female prostitutes. Man can and do prostitute themselves, generally to other men. Neither law enforcement nor social scientists seem particularly interested focusing on male prostitution. Yet if prostitution is a social ill, why do men get a free pass to prostitute themselves? Or if it isn’t that big a deal, why do we insist on throwing women in jail over it? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/72 "2010-01-02T16:40:58Z")
> [@Stentor\_2.5](#): > > I think one of the main problems in discussing prostitution is that most of the current research on prostitution concentrates on streetwalkers and the like. In part this is because the better-off prostitutes are generally discreet enough to avoid becoming research subjects. By focusing on the most troubled segment of the sex work industry researchers skew their data. > > A second issuue that also troubles me is that debate is almost always focused on female prostitutes. Man can and do prostitute themselves, generally to other men. Neither law enforcement nor social scientists seem particularly interested focusing on male prostitution. Yet if prostitution is a social ill, why do men get a free pass to prostitute themselves? Or if it isn’t that big a deal, why do we insist on throwing women in jail over it? Female prostitution moreover than not involves exploitation, even to the point of slavery. You never hear of a pimp with a stable of male prostitutes. ---
**Author:** ![Stentor\_2.5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@Stentor\_2.5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stentor_2.5)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/73 "2010-01-02T17:19:47Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > Female prostitution moreover than not involves exploitation, even to the point of slavery. You never hear of a pimp with a stable of male prostitutes. Then why not focus on prosecuting pimps on assault and kidnapping charges? As it is vice cops spend their time setting up sting operations and arresting prostitutes who don’t have pimps along with those who do. They’re going after the low hanging fruit while pimps just find more girls. And the girls are reluctant to come forward because they have a choice between working for a pimp and going to jail. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/74 "2010-01-02T17:36:55Z")
It’s funny how you guys talk as if the history of sex is women controlling men’s sexuality, when in reality the vast majority of controlling has been by men against women. There are piles of social institutions- from white dresses at weddings to female genital mutilation- that are basically about controlling women’s sexuality. Sadly, many women’s sexuality is muted by a society that STILL teaches them that they are not supposed to feel sexual. But females can be absolutely insatiable. I’ve been in two different cultures where prostitution is an accepted part of everyday life. In culture A, except for the fact that AIDS was a factor, it didn’t seem like a social ill. Husbands went to see prostitutes with no shame. Many women spent at least some period of their time working as prostitutes, with no shame. Indeed, women would have periodic “divorces” where they’d work a bit before they went back to their husbands. It was a useful way to make pocket money and a good back-up occupation. It didn’t affect your marriage prospects or social status. I knew respected community leaders who were relatively openly had prostitution as their second job. Men seemed to genuinely like the women they were with, and the women seemed to genuinely enjoy the sex, so it worked out (except, regrettably, when AIDS came along.) It was nowhere near an equal society, but the women I knew had strong identities even when they faced diminished prospects. In culture B, prostitution was an everyday thing. But it was surrounded by shame- strangely strip clubs were strictly forbidden, but sleazy brothels were allowed to operate openly. Almost as if the sex had to be as degrading as possible. Men did not seem to like women, and rarely spent time in their company outside of these brief paid encounters. Prostitutes were stigmatized, and faced diminished career and marriage prospects. Furthermore, women generally felt shame and confusion about their sexuality. To me, the whole situation felt very exploitative and really left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps prostitution was not a social ill, but it seemed like a huge blaring sign that there was something wrong going on in the society. So, I guess the point is, the healthiness of prostitution depends on the healthiness of your culture’s regard for women. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/75 "2010-01-02T19:47:07Z")
> [@Stentor\_2.5](#): > > Then why not focus on prosecuting pimps on assault and kidnapping charges? As it is vice cops spend their time setting up sting operations and arresting prostitutes who don’t have pimps along with those who do. They’re going after the low hanging fruit while pimps just find more girls. And the girls are reluctant to come forward because they have a choice between working for a pimp and going to jail. In Sweden, it’s the customers who are prosecuted. There is no crime committed by selling sex, only by buying. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/76 "2010-01-02T22:14:18Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > In culture A, except for the fact that AIDS was a factor, it didn’t seem like a social ill. Husbands went to see prostitutes with no shame. Many women spent at least some period of their time working as prostitutes, with no shame. Indeed, women would have periodic “divorces” where they’d work a bit before they went back to their husbands. It was a useful way to make pocket money and a good back-up occupation. It didn’t affect your marriage prospects or social status. Okay, I’ll bite. What’s culture A, and why does your reporting imply that it’s in a third-world country? ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/77 "2010-01-03T01:19:05Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > It’s funny how you guys talk as if the history of sex is women controlling men’s sexuality, when in reality the vast majority of controlling has been by men against women. There are piles of social institutions- from white dresses at weddings to female genital mutilation- that are basically about controlling women’s sexuality. Sadly, many women’s sexuality is muted by a society that STILL teaches them that they are not supposed to feel sexual. White wedding dresses are not about “controlling women’s sexuality”. They’re about tradition and looking beautiful at one’s wedding, which is why the vast majority of women who get married still choose one. (I am actually in agreement with your first sentence. I’m amazed by the amount of pseudo-intellectual blather that gets poured out about men’s sexuality being curtailed and oppressed by society. As we’ve already seen, the vast majority of men want to get married and remain faithfully married to one woman. At the same time, the vast majority of women want to get married and remain faithfully married to one man. The fact that this remains true even after decades of “experts” informing us that marriage and monogamy are oppressive is testimony enough to the fact that monogamous marriage is good for both genders. To claim that men are oppressed by marriage necessarily involves saying that most men aren’t smart enough to make their own decisions. To claim that women are oppressed by marriage necessarily involves saying that most women aren’t smart enough to make their own decisions.) ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/78 "2010-01-03T04:07:41Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > **athelas** > Nobody likes a wordsmith. You must be new around here - words and their proper usage are considered valuable tools around these parts. Welcome! ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/79 "2010-01-03T06:12:09Z")
> [@athelas](#): > > Okay, I’ll bite. What’s culture A, and why does your reporting imply that it’s in a third-world country? Because it is a third-world country? I don’t want to get into specifics, because then all kinds of people will pop up with all kinds of tangential nonsense about these specific regions. Soon we’ll have the racists and apologists coming in and the whole thing will end up a mess that has nothing to do with the OP. So you’ll have to trust that my observations are genuine and judge the conclusions I’ve drawn from them (that in societies that do not value women, prostitution is wrapped up in exploitation and get ugly, but in societies that do value women, it can be more benign) accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573/80 "2010-01-03T07:14:07Z")
> [@athelas](#): > > Progressives are much concerned with inequality of wealth, yet have little concern for inequality of social status, which arguably more important for happiness. Seriously? The party of Affirmative Action doesn’t ping your radar on the topic of social status? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subsidized-prostitution/522573.md?page=5)