Prostitution: From Sinful Work to Crime - Perry 33-52, 137-152; Roper; Huppert 117-133

These readings surprised me in three ways...

First, I must admit, I was slightly surprised (although, now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't have been) that prostitution was legal.  However, I was definitely not surprised that the public brothels were run by men, for men, and that the men profited, not the women.  Prostitution is as much about power as it is about sex.  The men needed the control over the women, and they could achieve this power by running the brothels and dictating the prostitutes lives.

I was also surprised at how the prostitutes were treated medically.  I did not expect that they would be required to have medical examinations to ensure proper health, although I do think that, if prostitution is going to be legal, that is a very good idea.  

Third, the justification for the public brothels was a little off to me.  Men needed an outlet for their sexual desires, so public brothels were legalized so that they did not go around raping and pillaging and plundering, and yet women were supposed to be more lustful than men?  It doesn't really make sense in my mind, although I suppose it does not need to make sense.