Deviance

Paper Summary:

The paper highlights that prostitution does not occur overnight and is instead, a process with no clear pathway. Individuals who choose to exit prostitution assume the task of re-defining themselves and their roles in society while dealing with multiple social, and emotional challenges along the way. The paper discusses several researchers who determine if there is a common process of exiting prostitution and what the needs of those individuals would be. The paper further notes that interview style studies of ex-prostitutes identified common types of events that prompted individuals to exit prostitution. The paper concludes that if individuals are to leave prostitution successfully, society and social services need to recognize that prostitution is not always a preferred choice. Some individuals are trying to cope with life the only way they know how. To successfully exit prostitution, prostitutes will need help re-defining themselves and their role in society.

From the Paper:

"Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, poverty, neglect, addiction, lack of education, low self-esteem, and homelessness are prominent negative factors that push individuals into prostitution and these can be the most challenging experiences to overcome in the exit process. In a study of current and former prostitutes, Barker and Farley (1998) found that 57% had been sexual assaulted or exploited during childhood, 49% had a history of physical assault, and 84% reported current or previous periods of homelessness. The researchers also found that positive pull factors such as financial freedom, attention, flexible work hours, a sense of power and control, and the ability to support others close to them created the illusions that the individual is coping with past traumatic experiences and making the best of a bad situation. With the exception of long-term residents in prostitution who eventually phase out, a life-changing event usually occured to prompt them to begin or to speed up the exit process."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adler, P. and Adler, P. (2006) Constructions of deviance. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
• Barkan, H.and Farley, M. (1998). Prostitution, violence, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Women & Health, 27 (3): 37-49. Retrieved from OPAL database http://web.ebscohost.com.an.opal-libraries.org.
• Hedin, U.C. and Mansson, S.A. (1999). Breaking the matthew effect - on women leaving prostitution. International Journal of Social Welfare, 8: 67-77. Retrieved from, OPAL database http://web.ebscohost.com.an.opal-libraries.org.
• Herbert, A. and Saphira, M. (2004). Exiting commercial activity. Retrieved from, http://www.ecpat.org.nz/pdf/exiting.pdf.

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