Prostitution In The Mid-1900's

During the WWI/Interwar/WWII years, women’s bodies became battle grounds. Women fought for the right to control their own bodies and shape their own futures while governments fought to control women’s bodies and women’s actions for the “good” of the nation. Prostitution, fashion, and abortion are some of the biggest fights women faced during the mid-1900’s. Not only were women fighting against the powerful of the government but they were working against the social norms of society. Women did many things to try and attempt to shape their own fates despite efforts by governments and others to impose controls on women. The fight for women was only beginning though, and it took courageous efforts by many strong women to win the battle that seemed

According to Liat Kozmas’ discussion on “Women’s Migration for Prostitution in the Interwar Middle East and North Africa.” many women fled into prostitution because they had little to no money to support their families back home and this was the only way they could being a reputable income to support their children. (Kozma, 95) Many women looked at prostitution in a negative light but when it comes to supporting your family you really put all of that behind for the greater good of your family. As we discussed in class many time women would go into the business of prostitution and being so surprised by the amount of money to be made didn’t leave the career until the economy was steady enough. Many governments in Europe took extreme measure against prostitution. Prostitution in many countries was perfectly legal but many countries did not want to be known as the place that promoted that kind of lifestyle. (Kozma,

As Wendy Goldman discussed in “Women, Abortion and the State, many women had to pursue an abortion due to the lack of financial assistance women received. (Goldman, 252) Not only were most abortions safer than childbirth in Europe, but in the end it would be much cheaper than raising the child itself. Not only did women want to work during this time but they had much bigger goals than raising a child during this time. Also, not every women wanted to be a mother no matter what the societal standards said. Once a shortage of troops began to form many states like the Soviet Union (one of the leading women's equal rights leaders of the time) began to crack down on abortion because they needed to replenish the military. Many women during this time used abortion as a way out because many catholic countries still today ban any and all forms of contraceptives. Even during this time contraceptives were very rare and were also expensive. Many women would have rather risked the pregnancy than go out and have protected sexual encounters. When states begin banning abortions many women fought back because they knew that it was much safer to get an abortion in a hospital than to have a child or back alley abortion. Since the Soviet Union was losing number in the military they looked at childbirth as a requirement for the “good” of the state. This did not resonate