Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work: Volume 1 (A-N) and 2 (O-Z)

The volumes cover early historical moments such as the role of prostitution in financing the Egyptian pyramids and in the arts throughout Asia and Europe, as well as the shifting attitudes toward prostitution illustrated through the tolerance of the Middle Ages, the condemnation of Protestant Reformers, the moral panics of Victorian London, abolition during the Prohibition Era, and the legalization (and regulation) of prostitution in contemporary Nevada, Amsterdam, and New Zealand. Ditmore accomplishes this by addressing such issues as the autonomy and flexibility it offers, the variety of workplace venues, the complexities of child care, the drudgery of many other lower-paid occupations, the relative ease of entry into sex work in terms of a lack of prior experience or training, and the ability to fulfill short-term, temporary financial needs or build capital for future investments in settings where opportunities for social mobility remain scarce.