Fear of Generational Prostitution
Likely due to the fact that the profession of prostitution-- and therefore prostitutes themselves-- are thought to be taboo, there is a commonly-held belief that, “prostitution is often transmitted from parent to child in some cases as a family tradition or because of real or perceived lack of options”. [1] While it is true that sometimes the children of prostitutes then become prostitutes, it is also true that sometimes the children of doctors also become doctors. There is something to be said about growing up with an example and then basing one’s own behavior and decisions based off of the behaviors and decisions of an exemplary figure.
In her dissertation, Anna-Mari Mandiuc asserts that, “Experts identify the risk of discrimination and marginalization of children by society due to the expansion of the stigma to the child, applied by society to the prostitute mother. On a long term, experts predict that girls will become prostitutes and boys will become abusers, rapists, pimps, felons, due to the model that the mother provides and the normalization of this occupation by the people from the social environment of the child.” [1] In this statement, the “normalization” of sex work is framed as a negative response; as a factor that may push a child to do sex work as an adult. In reality, the normalization of sex work can actually work as an important “identity management strategy” [2] for mothers who work as prostitutes. In her journal article entitled “Sex worker and mother: managing dual and threatened identities”, Jane Dodsworth notes, “Many sex workers in this situation live double lives in a double bind, in which they feel they have to work to support and keep their children in an occupation that may result in losing them”. [2] Instead of normalizing prostitution as work, adding a level of internalized stigmatization, and then transferring this stigma to one’s child might only serve to perpetuate shame surrounding prostitution and diminish feelings of agency.
On the blog, “Because I’m a Whore”, one anonymous author writes, “If being a hooker made my daughter or son happy, I would not have any concerns. What would hurt my son or daughter and our family, all sex workers and their families, is the attitude everyone else has to sex work and sex workers”. [3] The attitude that growing up with a prostitute mother would be a disservice to the children of prostitutes is one that has been pervasive for hundreds of years, as evidenced in the pictures from the 1850’s that accompany this page, as well as in the attitudes many contemporary scholars.
[1] Mandiuc, A. (2014). The impact of a prostitute mother on the child life circumstances (Doctoral dissertation, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 2014) [Abstract]. European Journal of Research on Education,2(2), 1-9, 1-9. doi:10.15527/ejre.201426243
[2] Dodsworth, J. (2014). Sex worker and mother: managing dual and threatened identities. Child & Family Social Work, 19(1), 99-108.
[3] "Mother and a Whore." Because I'm a Whore. September 11, 2011. Accessed March 1, 2016. http://becauseimawhore.com/2011/09/11/mother-and-a-whore/.