Condom use is strictly mandated, and the importance of pregnancy and disease prevention is emphasized. There are no laws on the books mandating that prostitutes be regularly tested for sexually transmitted diseases, but most choose to have it done, and the prevalence of disease is about the same as in the general population. Furthermore, the rights of those working in the profession are respected. They are allowed the freedom to use their own bodies in whatever way their judgment tells them is most to their benefit, while in this country outdated moralism strips them of the power to use their bodies for direct economic benefit. This is especially ironic considering that prostitution seems to be the only profession in which American society doesn't force women to sell themselves sexually.
Prostitution can also prove economically liberating to many women.
Catharine A. MacKinnon, in Feminism Unmodified, cited studies that showed that prostitutes in the U.S. earned twice as much as other women with similar backgrounds. In this country, pimps nearly always take a huge portion, whereas the prostitutes in Holland enjoy a fairer share. Another study showed that modeling and prostitution were the only professions in which women generally earned more than men. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the wage gap between men and women is still about 30 percent. This is not only because women are often paid less for the same work, but also because many are still stuck in the ununionized pink collar ghettoes of secretarial service and domestic work.