Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

History

Supervisor

Wardhaugh, Robert

Abstract

This thesis examines the lives and work of prostitutes in London, Ontario, from 1880 to 1885. The city’s sex trade was shaped by class, and women worked in upscale houses of ill-fame, disorderly houses, or on the streets. Prostitutes performed domestic and sexual labour in the same spaces, and their daughters often entered the sex trade, creating a multi-generational profession. In addition to class, a woman’s race and age shaped her experience in sex work and ability to protect her labour interests from local authorities. Sex workers increasingly became the target of repressive reform efforts from the city’s elites. Late-nineteenth century London witnessed a moral panic about vice. Believing that their ways of life were under threat from women who did not conform to Victorian standards of morality, they demonized prostitutes. Despite their victimization and abuse, women of various backgrounds responded to their oppression with resilience.

Summary for Lay Audience

This thesis examines the lives and work of prostitutes in London, Ontario, from 1880 to 1885. Women worked in upscale houses of ill-fame, disorderly houses, or on the streets. Prostitutes performed domestic and sexual labour in the same spaces, and their daughters often entered the sex trade, creating a multi-generational profession. A woman’s race and age also shaped her experience in sex work and ability to protect her labour interests from local authorities. Sex workers increasingly became the target of repressive reform efforts from the city’s elites. Late-nineteenth century London witnessed a moral panic about vice. Believing that their ways of life were under threat from women who did not conform to Victorian standards of morality, they demonized prostitutes. Despite their victimization and abuse, women of various backgrounds responded to their oppression with resilience.

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