NCJ Number
175202
Editor(s)
K J Maschke
Date Published
1997
Length
457 pages
Annotation
These 12 articles examine how the law handles women and gender differences in the areas of pornography and prostitution and discuss the possible inclusion of gender in hate crime laws.
Abstract
The papers were originally published or presented between 1983 and 1994. Individual papers present differing opinions regarding whether prostitution and pornography are forms of male oppression or whether women who choose to be involved in these activities are asserting control over their own sexuality. They also discuss whether prostitutes can ever freely consent to sell their services in a society that is male defined and male centered and that objectifies women through sexuality. They examine proposals for law reforms relating to prostitution and pornography, the application of New York State's prostitution law, United States law and literature on prostitution, and the judicial processing of prostitutes in the Boston Municipal Court. The final article explores the legal and political issues surrounding the inclusion of gender in hate crime laws and concludes that the potential benefits outweigh the arguments against addressing violence against women as hate crime. Thus, it recommends that women's advocacy groups promote both the inclusion of gender in hate crime statutes and the effective implementation of those statutes. Chapter footnotes and reference notes