Sociology and Prostitution

Sociology and Prostitution

March 15, 2013

Sociology and Prostitution

According to the popular information website "wikipedia" sociology can be define as the
"scientific study of human society and its origins, development, organizations, and institutions"
(2013). This is not necessarily the textbook definition, but it will work for the purposes of this
paper. A significant factor to such a broad science is that society's origins, development,
organizations, and institutions must all be considered. For this reason it makes sense that there
should be differing perspectives. This paper will summarize the three major sociological
perspectives and discuss a factor of society's sexuality, prostitution, in light of these approaches.
By understanding prostitution from the social-conflict, structural-functionalist, and symbolicinteractionist perspectives the complex dilemma that is prostitution can be better understood.
The Three Perspectives
The structural-functionalist approach views society structurally. That is to say, as more of
a systematic machine than anything else. This implies that everything in society has its own role
in the bigger picture. Macionis describes this perspective very thoroughly: "The structuralfunctional approach is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system
whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability" (Macionis et. al 2012). A
significant part of this theory is in the second part of this definition. Promoting solidarity and
stability gives a reason why society works this way, and should therefore be understood this way.
An even more significant aspect to this theory is the emphasis on social functions. These
can be described as "the consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a
whole" (Macionis et. al 2012). These individual functions make up the greater society. By
viewing interactions in society as social functions their importance and role can become easily
apparent.

Sociology and Prostitution

The social-conflict theory is very different from the structural-functionalist view. It is

much less interested in the smaller units of society, and instead looks to much larger societal
units. These larger units are the social classes. Macionis describes this theory as "a framework
for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change"
(2012). Important to this theory is the idea that there are higher, or more privileged, classes.
Also important is the relevance of conflict. Class privilege cause the negative influence of
conflict, but conflict is also a symptom of change.
This theory views several factors as responsible for class struggle. The inequality of
things like money and education create a power divide. Macionis writes: "Guided by this
approach, sociologists investigate how factors such as class, race, ethnicity, gender, and age are
linked to the unequal distribution, of money, power, education and social prestige" (2012). This
inequality serves some people, but hurts others.
The symbolic-interaction approach is once again very different from the other
sociological perspectives. In fact, it takes an immensely different approach than the other
perspectives, focusing primarily on the small and most common aspects of society. Macionis
describes it as "a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of everyday
interactions of individuals." This contrasts with the broader views of the social-conflict and
structural-functionalist perspectives.
Approaches to Prostitution
It goes without saying that these perspectives will all have very different opinions on the
topic of prostitution. Firstly, what is meant by the term "prostitution" must be defined. A
suitable definition comes from the text: "the selling of sexual services" (Macionis et. al 2012).
This definition is simple, and as such invites a broad range of opinions.
First to be discussed will be the perspective of the structural-functionalist view.
Reconsidering that the structural functionalist perspective is interested in a systematic order in
society prostitution takes an interesting position. This would imply that it is part of a system.

Sociology and Prostitution

This system could be considered economically. Greater society demands that individuals work
and acquire currency. For some individuals this occupation may form an economic basis. This
could also be a step up the "ladder" of capitalist society. In this way, prostitution can be seen as
another service provided within a service-oriented society.
The structural-functionalist is concerned with social functions. Again, reconsidering the
idea that there are "consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society" then
prostitution could be considered a consequence of social patterns (Macionis et. al 2012). Modern
society is very sexual, and so this social pattern would naturally generate a sexual industry.
Prostitutes are a part of this industry, and so fulfill the role of fulfilling the societal demand for
sex.
The social-conflict perspective is not so dispassionate as the structural-functionalist view.
It views society as a result of class structure and class conflict. The sale of sex would be a result
of class conflict as well. It is likely that a conflict theorist would be interested in statistics related
to the ethnicity and background of both the prostitutes and the individuals they service. This
theorist would look to prove that those in the sex industry are there as a result of inequality. A
significant implication is that such an inequality is a starting point for change. Is the next big
change in society going to sex-related?
The symbolic-interaction approach takes a much more personal view on the issue of
prostitution. It is interested in the "everyday" interactions between people, and so this also
applies to the everyday interactions of people and prostitutes (Macionis et. al 2012). This is a
result of its "micro-level orientation," which pursues ideas related to "social interaction in
specific situations" (Macionis et. al 2012). This theorist would want to observe the nonoccupational interactions of a prostitute in order to understand the nature of this lifestyle. These
individuals would have a very different constructed reality than other members of society, and

Sociology and Prostitution

observation would show a unique outlook on life. This could also lead to conclusions about the
effects that modern sexual behavior has on the individual.
As a social science, sociology is very broad and very diverse. For this reason there are
several major perspectives that cater to it. Structural-functionalist, social-conflict, and symbolicinteractionist theories attempt to answer questions about society as well as explain why it is the
way it is. With an issue like prostitution these theories cannot answer the question of whether it
is a positive or negative force in society. They may suggest certain benefits or drawbacks, but
social science cannot offer up a single equation. Prostitution is a result of social forces: it has a
cause, a purpose, and a role in society.

Sociology and Prostitution

Bibliography

"Sociology." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2013. <www.wikipedia.com>

Macionis, John. Jansson, S. Mikael. Benoit, Cecilia. Society: The Basics. Pearson Canada
Incorporated. Toronto. 2012.