
Prostitution Reduces Rape - jseliger
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2017/10/prostitution-reduces-rape.html
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olliej
The headline is a bit extreme in phrasing but every study I’ve seen found the
legalizing sex work reduces sexual assault rates, and reduces abuse of sex
workers (the ability of “pimps” etc to control prostitutes is precisely
because sex workers can’t go to the police or an employment authority).

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intopieces
>About 54% of these men stated that if prostitution did not exist then they
would be more likely to rape women who were not prostitutes. This belief was
clearly held by one man who even stated: “Sometimes you might rape someone:
you can go to a prostitute instead” (Farley et al., 2009).

Is there some old-timey mindset still out there that rape is somehow ok? I'm
stunned by this majority of men surveyed in London admitting that they would
rape a woman.

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sky_rw
The study quoted here says that 54% of men surveyed subscribed to a belief
that prostitution in general decreases rape, not necessarily that they
themselves would be more likely to rape a woman.

> Fifty-four per cent of these London buyers subscribed to the theory that
> prostitution decreases rape. There is no empirical basis for this theory,
> nonetheless it is assumed to be the truth by many people, including these
> buyers. In part as a justification for prostitution, men who bought sex
> reasoned that if prostitution did not exist then they would be more likely
> to rape women who were not prostitutes. This belief was clearly held by one
> man who stated that “Sometimes you might rape someone: you can go to a
> prostitute instead.” Forty-one per cent of 110 Glasgow and Edinburgh men who
> bought sex also believed this theory (Macleod, Farley, Anderson and Golding,
> 2008). Another man explained, “Society benefits. I’ve heard that levels of
> rape have decreased due to Internet porn.” And, “Prostitution is a last
> resort to unfulfilled sexual desires. Rape would be less safe, or if you’re
> forced to hurt someone or if you’re so frustrated you jack off all day."

[https://i1.cmsfiles.com/eaves/2012/04/MenWhoBuySex-89396b.pd...](https://i1.cmsfiles.com/eaves/2012/04/MenWhoBuySex-89396b.pdf)

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Overtonwindow
I disagree with this, and something doesn't quite feel right.... It's an
interesting meta look at this idea that prostitute has a correlation with
rape, or sexual assault crimes in general, but I don't buy it. Correlation is
not the same as causation. It also seems to imply that men have this urge to
have sex that if given an "outlet" through prostitution, means they won't go
and rape someone.

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xelxebar
"I disagree with this..."

This is totally of topic, but it kind of weirds me to see this kind of
response so often. I just don't get the impetus to sort things into Agree vs.
Disagree bins.

Naively, we're all working with a paucity of data here and should expect a
turbulence of ideas on the matter. To your point in particular, one might
pithily retort, "correlation also isn't _not_ causation." It's hard to tell
either way at this point, so what exactly are we doing by agreeing or
disagreeing with... what exactly?

Forgive me if that sounded like an attack. It's totally not intended that way.
I've just been getting confused by the "I agree/disagree..." language recently
and thought I'd throw it out there.

