How Victorian Society Created the “Great Social Evil”

 [Review of] “Prostitution and the Nineteenth Century: In Search of the 'Great Social Evil'” by Fraser Joyce

Since there are stigmas and expectations tied to the “proper” and “acceptable” conduct of a woman within our modern culture, it isn’t hard to imagine the rigid standards women of the Victorian era were held to. Though these standards are still held in high regard, the emphasis on women to maintain a “pure and innocent” image is not what it used to be; during the Victorian era, chastity and submissiveness were idealized characteristics of women and those who went outside of those characteristics were deemed as “fallen”, especially prostitutes. In the article, “Prostitution and the Nineteenth Century: In Search of the 'Great Social Evil'” by Fraser Joyce, the author examines ways in which the social, moral, and medical structures of Victorian society painted prostitution as the “Great Social Evil”. 

As Joyce so rightly puts it, prostitutes were not lurking in the corners of society, as Victorian literature and other non-literary accounts of Victorian society portray them to be. In fact, the problem of prostitution was talked about in periodicals, like The Morning Chronicle, turning them into topics of discussion in middle-class homes. Highlighting the structures of Victorian society that shaped prostitution to be such a viable topic of discussion, more specifically the structure of society, emphasized the popularity of prostitution and deemed it to be the greatest immoral activity of the Victorian age.

As we have discussed in class, the mobilization of classes and budding urbanization was prevalent in the Victorian era. With urbanization brought poverty, disease, and overcrowding in England. In addition, it also brought along the mixing of poor and wealthy social classes. Joyce studies that through this intermingling of classes, in overcrowded spaces, it allowed prostitution to flourish. Another affect of urbanization was the rise of unemployment. Along with high levels of unemployment within urbanizations, the result was a large population of unmarried men and women. In Victorian culture, the middle-class standard for men encouraged that they weren’t able to marry before having a secure occupation. As a result, men turned to prostitutes to fulfill their sexual desires, since they couldn’t secure a job or a wife. 

Prostitutes were not only seen as the opposite of what was expected of women at the time, but were also portrayed as a threat to the patriarchy. Reflecting on the praised attributes of a domesticated wife, prostitutes defined an identity for women that was independent from men. Women were allowed to work at the time, however the minimal wages that were given to women did not allow them to be entirely independent on their own income. Prostitution became a desirable job for women of lower class because it provided them with financial security. Prostitutes also worked outside, going against the expectation that women were supposed to work within the home. Not only were they independent, but they were openly sexual beings. Women, who were not prostitutes, were not taught to express their sexuality in any way. Even within marriage, as Joyce points at, chastity was still expected; sex was only for women if it were to procreate. Sexual excitement, for women, was thought of to be detrimental to their health. That being said, prostitutes were regarded as unhealthy individuals because of how frequently they partook in sexual activity. 

Joyce continues the article with several other examples of how prostitution was created to be the “Great Social Sin”. In reflecting on how we have talked about the gender norms of Victorian society, I find it rather helpful to see ways in which Victorian social structures shaped those who drastically went outside those expectations. Joyce’s interpretation of how the Victorian era popularized prostitution is somewhat ironic; it was judged as the greatest sin, yet was publicized and rather apparent in everyday life. Whatever the Victorians truly thought about prostitution, they were important enough to be given the title as the “Great Social Sin”. With knowledge of how prostitution was discussed in Victorian culture, parallels can be drawn to how sex work is discussed in today’s society, leading us in creating a less stigmatized world for sex workers.