Practice of engaging in sexual activity, usually with
individuals other than a spouse or friend, in exchange for
immediate payment in money or other valuables. Prostitutes may
be of either sex and may engage in either heterosexual or
homosexual activity, but historically most prostitution has been
by females with males as clients. Prostitution is a very old and
universal phenomenon; also universal is condemnation of the
prostitute but relative indifference toward the client.
Prostitutes are often set apart in some way. In ancient Rome
they were required to wear distinctive dress; under Hebrew law
only foreign women could be prostitutes; in prewar Japan they
were required to live in special sections of the city. In
medieval Europe prostitution was licensed and regulated by law,
but by the 16th century an epidemic of venereal disease and
post-Reformation morality led to the closure of brothels.
International cooperation to end the traffic in women for the
purpose of prostitution began in 1899. In 1921 the Leagu