Prostitution is the performance of sexual acts for payment. It exists throughout the world, largely in urban areas. Most prostitutes are women. But prostitutes also include men and children.
Some prostitutes work for themselves. Others work for men known as pimps or for women called madams. In many countries, call services or houses of prostitution, often called brothels, connect prostitutes with clients, set fees, and protect prostitutes from dangerous or unwanted customers. Some prostitutes seek customers on streets and in other public places. Both prostitutes and their clients face a risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS (see AIDS).
In many Western countries, much prostitution is related to drug abuse. In the United States, for example, many prostitutes sell sexual services to support a drug habit. Psychologists and social scientists believe that many people in developed countries become prostitutes because they have been emotionally, physically, or sexually abused as children or as adults. In developing countries, poverty is the main reason for prostitution.
In the United States, prostitution is legal only in Nevada, where each county has the option of allowing houses of prostitution. In Canada, call services are legal. But houses of prostitution are illegal, and prostitutes may not seek customers in public. Prostitution is also legal in parts of South America and Asia. Many European cities have experimented with legal prostitution.
People in Western countries disagree about whether prostitution should be legalized. Many people oppose prostitution on moral or religious grounds. Some people think that the legalization of prostitution results in a rise in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. But others argue that legalization controls the spread of such diseases because it enables governments to require medical inspection of prostitutes.
Prostitution has existed throughout history. It was widespread in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China. In European and Asian history, some prostitutes have held high social rank.
