Overview

Sex for Sale in Scotland examines the various formal and informal methods that were used to police female prostitution in Edinburgh and Glasgow between 1900 and 1939 and explores how these policies influenced women's lives. The book uses a rich combination of police, probation, magistrates', poor law and voluntary organisations' records to demonstrate how these organisations combined to establish a 'penal-welfare' approach towards regulating prostitution in Scotland. By mapping the geography of prostitution, the book argues that prostitution was not forced into the outskirts of society, either physically or socially. The book examines both indoor and outdoor prostitution and the relationships that developed among the wide range of people who profited from commercial sex. Particular emphasis is placed on the experiences of the women involved in prostitution, highlighting the poverty, exploitation and abuse they faced, but also the ways in which they negotiated these dangers. This social history of prostitution maps how the organisation, policing and experiences of prostitution developed in an ever-changing urban landscape during a period of extraordinary developments in technology and entertainment, alongside the wider socio-economic changes brought about by the First World War.

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9781474429313

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Reviews

"Settle's detailed and well researched book provides a welcome addition to our knowledge of this long standing and complex social issue...A collective biography approach to previously hidden life stories provides much needed insight into the women's lives. We see their reasons for working in prostitution, its impact and how this was often compounded by the efforts of those determined to prevent it. We also hear the women's loud resistance screaming through. --Anni Donaldson ""Scottish Review of Books"""

Settle's detailed and well researched book provides a welcome addition to our knowledge of this long standing and complex social issue...A collective biography approach to previously hidden life stories provides much needed insight into the women's lives. We see their reasons for working in prostitution, its impact and how this was often compounded by the efforts of those determined to prevent it. We also hear the women's loud resistance screaming through. --Anni Donaldson Scottish Review of Books

Author Information

Louise Settle is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh.

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