Thriving prostitution in a strict, purist society: gender, functionalism and social dominance in Victorian Baltimore

Abstract

Victorian society featured a deeply rooted moral code that guided people's everyday lives. Protestant Christianity was the predominant religion among Victorians, and it underpinned the moral codes they sought to enforce upon society. These strict codes dictated that marriage was the centerpiece of communities, and procreation was the sole acceptable reason for people to engage in sexual relations. However, despite this, prostitution was a thriving economic and social entity. Whether working in brothels or on the streets, prostitutes engaged in sexual relations with a diverse group of men. While some government groups helped sustain the sex industry, various reform groups and philanthropists worked to eradicate it, creating a push/pull tension. The Rockefeller Foundation conducted sex research in Baltimore in 1903, despite the objections of purists who viewed prostitution as a “social evil,” but in line with Victorian reformers seeking to upend the industry. How could a “social evil” flourish in a society built on strict gender roles, monogamous marriage, rigid morals, and restrictive sexual codes? This paper employs Social Dominance and Structural Functionalism theories, and the Rockefeller Foundation report, to analyze Victorian prostitution, particularly in Baltimore in 1880-1920. It examines both the Victorian stigma and of the success of the prostitution industry; its social and economic functions; and the bourgeoise's effects on prostitutes’ means of survival.