Rise Of Prostitution

Throughout history there have been different ways that families have managed to get by. In many situations every member had their own way of helping out. This could either be through getting a job or helping around the household. In late 19th/early 20th century both were very common, especially in urban areas where working in the industrial sector was common. As the industrial sector became more prominent in the lives of many, so did the idea of having to use proper currency in order to survive. This was very different from in previous times where it was possible to trade with neighbors in order to survive. As in times before, men women and children all had their own jobs. In the time of industrialization, it became the man’s job to make

This then led women to consider alternative positions, sometimes in the form of prostitution. For many poor women this was considered to be one of the best possibilities. As Christine Stansell says in her book, “. . .prostitution was closely linked to “ruin”, a state of affairs to be avoided at all costs.” This was the state that often times single women found themselves to be in, especially if they had small children. As it was no longer possible to trade work directly for goods, they had to find other monetary means to survive. In some situations prostitution could be given in payment for food and drink directly, but it was also a way for women to make a great deal of money. Girls in some situations fell into prostitution to help their families. As men were the main source of income, if a husband did not make enough of that income it sometimes fell to the girls to bring home the rest of the money to maintain the household. This was the case when Stansell writes, “for girls helping their mothers keep house or working in some kind of semi-industrial learning arrangement, money from men might be the only available source of cash.” Not only was this common for single women or girls who were working within the household sector, but girls who came from a bad home life were also often times found to be involved. As prostitution had grown tremendously in the 1800s, this was often times with young girls their fathers had a great deal of money. This was evident as some of the girl’s fathers had jobs such as being ship carpenters, and prostitution allowed for a girl to live on her own if she was treated