The happy hooker user By Pru Goward Pru Goward is Prime Minister Howard's new senior adviser on women's affairs. When this piece was first published in the Good Weekend on 27 July 1996, she was a political correspondent with ABC Radio National. Prostitution is an essential service for randy men, argues Pru Goward, and is to be preferred to the extramarital affair.
Prostitution is one of the last great wars to be fought between the sexes.
The struggle to have prostitution decriminalised, if not actually legalised, has been part of the modern feminist agenda since the late 1960s. The advent of AIDS has led to some recognition of their health and safety rights - again, by default. The need for such an industry has been accepted only with great moral biting of tongues. Prostitution is still generally seen as an unfortunate occupation, driven by the base chauvinistic desires of men who view sex as no more than a physical act, by unreconstructed men, emotionally and socially inadequate men, prepared to use women as spittoons. The modern feminist Judeo-Christian ethic says a mature man should only want sex with a woman he cares for, if not loves.