Poll: women have harsher attitudes toward prostitution than men

Women judge prostitution more harshly than men and are more likely to think it should be illegal, according to a new YouGov poll.

The poll asked Americans about their attitudes toward sex work, including whether they have ever personally bought or sold sex. (If they're answering honestly, apparently 6 percent of both men and women have sold sex, while 12 percent of men and 1 percent of women have bought it.)

A slight majority of men (51 percent) think working as a prostitute should be legal, while almost as many women (50 percent) think it should be illegal. The numbers were similar on paying for sex (50 percent of men think it should be legal and 52 percent of women think it should be illegal).

The poll also found that more women than men think working as a prostitute is morally wrong (65 percent versus 47 percent).

Put together, slightly more Americans think prostitution should be illegal (43 percent) than legal (40 percent).

More Republicans (52 percent) than Democrats (45 percent) or independents (37 percent) think it should be illegal to accept money for sex. There wasn't a huge difference across age divides, though people under 30 were actually more likely than older generations to think buying or selling sex should be illegal.

What should we think about these results?

It's easy to look at this poll and laugh about how of course most men want to legalize sex work.

But it might be more interesting to think about why women think it should be illegal. Is it Mean Girls–style judgment of promiscuous women? Is it a desire to protect other women from exploitation?

It's hard to say what exactly lies behind this gender gap. It's indisputable, however, that sex work is the subject of bitter divides in the feminist community. Some think sex work is exploitation no matter what, even for the women (or men) who choose that work. Others think this view is both patronizing and dangerous to people who willingly engage in sex work.

Moral quandaries aside, though, the evidence shows that banning sex work is counterproductive. When sex work is illegal and has to operate in the shadows, sex workers are at greater risk for exploitation and abuse. After examining the research on decriminalizing prostitution, Vox's German Lopez concluded that sex work should be decriminalized and regulated like other businesses.

Decriminalization has major public health benefits like reduced rates of rape and sexually transmitted infections. Meanwhile the evidence in favor of prohibition — like the argument that legalized prostitution increases sex trafficking — is badly flawed. In fact, legalizing prostitution might even decrease demand for illegal sex trafficking.

Interestingly, most Americans don't agree with harsh punishment for sex work or solicitation. Only 20 percent think that either buying or selling sex should be punished with prison. The rest think community service or a small fine would suffice, or aren't sure.

But that's a far cry from how sex work is punished in the real world, both legally and in less official ways.

In most states, sex work can be punished with at least some jail time and fines of up to $1,000 or more. The penalties are harsher for pimps and brothel owners. Georgia is trying to make prostitution solicitation a felony.

But social and legal stigma can inflict the most horrifying punishments of all. Sex workers face constant police harassment, risk losing custody of their children, and are murdered at alarming rates. Society thinks sex workers' lives are worth less, and acts accordingly.