Prohibited Sexual Behavior and Sexual Violence

Prostitution: Female Prostitution: Summary 2

In view of the continuing female dependency on males in most regions of the world, the women’s movement has long demanded reforms, and some progress has been made, at least in many Western countries. At the same time, it has become clear that such reforms, while welcome, are not sufficient to change the fundamental gender imbalance still evident in the practice of female prostitution. However, a true “gender revolution” is nowhere on the horizon, and continued reform is therefore the only realistic option.
We have seen that women activists do not always agree on specific reforms: The incompatible prostitution policies of Sweden and the Netherlands, for example, find feminists on both sides of the issues. How these issues will eventually be decided only experience can show. The same may be said about the future development of internet prostitution. Some observers see here a potential role reversal with fully autonomous females exploiting the weakness of males. Others see at least a new equality of power in the arrangement. For still others, the change is superficial and insignificant. From the point of sex research, the issue remains unresolved. This type of prostitution has not yet been sufficiently studied for a valid assessment.