Prostitution is a topic that many people today have explicit opinions on whether it should be legalized and is it moral? Can you imagine how people felt about prostitutes in the 19th century? Today people think that a woman who prostitutes herself is the worst possible thing and, almost two centuries later, there is a less rigid view of female sexuality than then. In 2011 men and women may have different views on prostitution and distinct ways to correct the problem. Men today, like almost 200 years ago, would like to see prostitution legalized and regulated. Women still see prostitution as a moral issue that needs to be reformed. The data suggests that little has changed regarding the punishment and support of prostitution. The main reason for prostitution in the 19th century can be attributed to the need for survival. There are few people who would argue that jobs for women were scarce anywhere in the country in the 1800s. Was it better to penalize women in prostitution or offer them ways they could “improve” themselves? Prison, fines, and social reform were all ways society judged working women. Why women prostituted themselves in the 19th century, I think is important before discussing ideas of reform and punishment. “No job, no money, no home” (Hill, 1993) was a phrase used by a young prostitute in New York City. This was a common theme among prostitutes in various parts of the United States. Poverty was not the shared belief for prostitution in the moral realm. They believed that prostitutes were depraved and evil. Those women had chosen to please and corrupt men due to their lack of morals (Hill, 1993). keep prostitutes in business. There was no legal or moral punishment for men who used prostitutes. Women avoided blaming women for their roles. They saw that men had a role in the prostitution business. They looked for ways to help prostitutes get out of the life they found themselves in. The lack of social institutions in the Frontier was likely the result of a limited number of "respectable" residents. I can't see where much has changed since the 1800's when it comes to opinions on prostitution. There are still people whose opinion is that prostitution is all the fault of women and there are still people who place the blame on the men who exploit these women. However, there are still women who see prostitution as the only way to survive. Again, what have people learned from history?