Sex for Sale in Scotland

Book excerpt: 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. A rich combination of records from police, probation, magistrates, poor law and voluntary organisations demonstrates how these organisations combined to establish a 'penal-welfare' approach towards regulating prostitution in Scotland. By mapping the geography of prostitution, the author 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.