The Body of Margaret Atwood: Sex Work and Prostitution within Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood

In this paper, I will argue that Canadian author Margaret Atwood uses fiscal and socially conservative dystopias to show how sex work and prostitution are choices that women would never have to make in a world with true gender equality. In these radically different worlds, women have no agency beyond their sexuality and no ability to express themselves as equals within either society. And while the structures of both societies, the society of The Handmaid’s Tale and that of both Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood, are inherently different, they both stem from modern conservative philosophies: for example, the country of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale holds Christian conservative beliefs on the role of religion in the state and the culturally designated roles of women. I define social conservatism as the idea that government organizations are used to pursue an agenda promoting traditional religious values such as “public morality” and opposing “immoralities” such as abortion, prostitution, and homosexuality. I define fiscal conservatism as an agenda promoting privatization of the market, deregulation and lower taxes. In this paper I argue that because these philosophies are incompatible with gender equality, they drive women to occupations such as sex work. Women find that they have no choices and sex work provides something to “trade.” For Offred, this “trading” is more limited, because she is a sex slave. For Oryx, this trading allows her to travel to the West, yet not before her childhood is marked by prostitution and pornography. Sex work allows for Ren to reclaim some agency over her life, yet she only chooses sex work because she is presented with few other options. All of these issues stem from the philosophies that define these dystopias.

Women in Prostitution and Social Responsibility

The aim of the paper is to show how prostitution is embedded in historically changing gender relationships regulated by the state and part of each societies understanding of sexuality. An important role to improve the situation of women in prostitution is played by engaged social work, often linked to the womens movement on a local, national and an international level in spite of differing positions on the institution of prostitution. The authors argumentation is based on qualitative and quantitative empirical findings concerning shared experiences as well as differences between women in prostitution and findings on professional possibilities and limits of supporting the women. Important dimensions of heterogeneity amongst the women are legality versus illegality, decision making possibilities respectively dependencies und choice versus force, which also are the base of different political and professional positions taken by experts.

Prioritizing Healthy Child Development Could Prevent Child Prostitution

The CHILDREN AT RISK documentaries “Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking” and “International Human Trafficking” draw attention to the dire consequences of our failure as a society to ensure that all children are raised with healthy experiences in safe and loving environments. It is our collective responsibility to put policies and services into place to prevent child prostitution from happening in the first place, while also providing treatment and care for the victims of prostitution. We must embed the prevention of child prostitution into a broader vision for healthy child development and encourage our national, state, and local policymakers to prioritize the development and implementation of a comprehensive and coordinated strategy for children.

Presse et prostitution à la lumière de Karl Kraus

Karl Kraus a repris, mais en l’amplifiant, la métaphore de Balzac qui compare la presse à une prostituée. Mais il élargit considérablement son propos dans une dénonciation de l’attitude hypocrite de la bourgeoisie et de la presse bourgeoise par rapport à la prostitution physique. Il développe pour ce faire une poétique où une pratique généralisée de l’antanaclase permet de dénoncer à la fois la presse et ses lieux communs par rapport aux prostituées.

Prostitution und sexuelle Perversitäten nach Bibel und Talmud

von J. Preuss

Erwiederung auf die schändlichen Ausfälle gegen die Nationalgarde von Seiten des Tagesblattes "Prostitution für anarchisches Treiben und Volksverführung", anmaßenderweise "Constitution für Volksbelehrung" genannt: Wer alle die verleumderischen Schmähungen gelesen hat, welche das obbenannte, ohne Ausnahme Alles prostituirende Blatt ...

Welsch (Projektbearbeiter): Angriff auf die Zeitung 'Die Constitution : Tagblatt für constitutionelles Volksleben und Belehrung' (Redakteure: Leopold Häfner, Maximilian C. Gritzner, Ludwig Hauk). Vorwurf der einseitigen Parteinahme sowie des Totschweigens der "die ganze Bevölkerung Wiens bis aufs Aeußerste empörenden Excesse[n] der Arbeiter"

Wahre abbildung, welcher gestalt die Kön. Hispanische Silberflotha, so von den Holländern erobert worden

Titel d. Nebenkt.: Das Eylandt Cuba mit deroselbigen Gelegenheiten

Abbildung der großen Schlacht so zwischen Ihr Kön. May. in Polen vnd Türcken geschehē im Sept. Ao. 1621

Text in d. Platte graviert. - Gestochen nach Hogenberg

Das Gebett So Ihr Kön. May. in Schweden Anno 1630 im Monat Aprill in der Insel Riga ankommen, da Er alßbald auff seine Knye nidergefallen, mit auffgereckten Händen zu Gott in Him̄el gethan

[angebl.: Gustav Adolf II. Kupferst.: Hans Jörg Mannasser]

Abris Der Herrlichen Victori, Welche Ihr Kön. Maii. Zv Schweden Bey Erobervng Freiistat Den 1. Avgvsti Dises Lavffenden 1632 Iahrs Erlanget

Enth. außerdem: Abris Des Harten Treffens Welches Am Alten Berg, Vnfern Von Nürnberg Zwischen Der Königlichen Scwedischen Vnd Dann Der Friedländischen, Vnd Baiierischen Armeen den 24. Avgvsti Vorgangen

Die botanische Centralstelle für die deutschen Colonien am Kön. botanischen Garten der Universität Berlin und die Entwicklung botanischer Versuchsstationen in den Colonien

Von A. Engler