Why oldest profession

Skip to content Website Breadcrumbs Home. Myths About Prostitution. MYTH: Prostitution is the oldest profession. Share this: Print Email Tweet. In Ancient Rome, prostitution was legal and widespread, with no attempt to hide such behaviors.

Following the Protestant Reformation and into the Victorian Era, however, social attitudes began to change, as prostitutes were blamed for outbreaks of sexually transmitted diseases and other maladies. This attitude began to take hold, and by the 20th Century, many countries and jurisdictions had begun to outlaw the practice.

Today, prostitution is illegal in much of the world. In countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Mexico, prostitution is legal and regulated by the government. In Brazil, India, and Great Britain, organized brothels are illegal but prostitution is legal. By sending the defendant to a substance abuse treatment program instead of incarceration, the hope is to focus on rehabilitation. The goal is to help the defendant maintain a sober lifestyle so that they do not need to prostitute in order to afford their addiction.

Multiple European countries have recently decriminalized prostitution and are regulating the sex work industry to be safer for everyone involved. In America, however, prostitution is often met with contempt. Many people disagree with prostitution being a criminal offense, yet it is still punishable by serious penalties. We offer confidential, judgment-free consultations.

However, I would say that people certainly do things which are not their profession, such as a hobby. This isn't a question about English to me. Voting to close. I also disagree about the vote to close! It's a humorous saying in any language. So you're expecting something like farmer or hunter, and ha ha, you said a dirty word OK. This is not about English. Show 5 more comments. Active Oldest Votes. I didn't find the exact first recorded use, but a Google ngram search clearly agrees that around is when the expression started to get widely used: Before that, the expression had already been used and applied to other jobs, usually in pride.

On the issue of prostitution being or not a profession, I will quote the definition given by the New Oxford American Dictionary : a paid occupation, esp. Improve this answer. F'x F'x Fantastic answer! I wish I could upvote this twice! Add a comment. Josh Josh 1, 5 5 gold badges 15 15 silver badges 25 25 bronze badges. You've missed the point. And it also doesn't matter how old the "profession" is, the question is about who used it first, in English.