Decency and Democracy: The Politics of Prostitution in Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1890-1900

The sugar-producing municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico is considered the origin of Puerto Rican national identity. Ironically, it is also the birthplace of a vicious state repression against urban working women. In the 1890s, Puerto Rico conducted a harsh, systematic crackdown against women suspecte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Feminist studies 1997-09, Vol.23 (3), p.471-499
Main Author: Findlay, Eileen J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artisans
Crime
Democracy
Feminism
Feminist theory
Government
History
International relations
Labelling
Liberalism
Men
Moral regulation
Morality
Nation and Race, Sex and Work
Police
Political campaigns
Politics
Ponce
Prostitutes
Prostitution
Puerto Rico
Relationship
Repression (Political)
Respect
Sex discrimination
Sex workers
Social history
Social impact
Stigma
Turn of the Century
Urban Areas
Women's status
Working class women
Working Women
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Summary:The sugar-producing municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico is considered the origin of Puerto Rican national identity. Ironically, it is also the birthplace of a vicious state repression against urban working women. In the 1890s, Puerto Rico conducted a harsh, systematic crackdown against women suspected of immorality. By 1896, working women in Ponce accused of non-monogamy or unruly behavior were labeled prostitutes and subjected to public harassment, fines and imprisonment. This crackdown in relation to the simultaneous emergence of democracy in Puerto Rico are evaluated.
ISSN:0046-3663
2153-3873
DOI:10.2307/3178382