ABSTRACT
We saw in Chapter 8 that the influential structural functionalist Kingsley Davis (1961, originally 1937) argued from a traditional malestream perspective that prostitution is a structural necessity for society and will continue to be universally inevitable all the while sexual repression remains essential to the functioning of society. Liberal feminists are not entirely antagonistic to this traditional perspective and observe that prostitution involves choice for women and indeed often some form of ‘liberation’ (economic or sexual). The contract between the prostitute and her client is seen as a consensual relationship between two adults and these writers highlight the fact that many women work independently from pimps. Any violence and oppression which they experience can be seen to be exacerbated by the present legal system of regulation which stigmatises, marginalises and criminalises the prostitute. Thus, for liberal feminists prostitution is perceived as being a private business transaction. Where radical feminists view the prostitute as a human being who has been reduced to a piece of merchandise or a commodity, liberals propose that a woman is free to enter into contracts or not, as she so wishes. Radical feminists nevertheless do not believe that the desire of a prostitute to enter into such a ‘contract’ is done of her own free will and argue that prostitution is an exploitative relationship in which the customer is interested only in the services of the prostitute and has no interest in her personal welfare. But the liberal responds to this by pointing out that when one seeks out a professional such as a doctor, lawyer, plumber, or mechanic, one is not centrally concerned in the person doing the professional work – only his or her services (Weisberg, 1996).
