Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Cynthia Commachio

Advisor Role

Thesis Supervisor

Abstract

This cognate essay examines prostitutes and prostitution in Hamilton from 1879 to 1886. It contends that the women who were arrested for prostitution offenses in Hamilton in that period were involved in the trade as a result of a number of factors working in concert. These factors included ethnicity, occupation, age, marital status, addiction and contemporary social structures and mores. In particular, women of Irish background and/or those who had worked as domestic servants appeared to be especially vulnerable to the streets. Once charged as prostitutes, these women faced further difficulty in being regarded as anything but “fallen” and deviant, while their clients were treated with more leniency by the Police Court.

Convocation Year

1997

Download

Share

COinS