SUPERVISION AND SUBMISSION IN THE PHENOMENON OF PROSTITUTION IN FRANCE IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Prostitution has been a very present phenomenon in French society and known as a taboo, mysterious and delicate subject, but it's existence has influenced the evolution of civilization. In the second half of the nineteen century the French reglementarism is the most dominant movement and prostitution is a necessary evil. The sexual morality is the main idea in the society especially in which regards the bourgeoisie class as they frequent the brothels being the first customers; prostitution will only be accepted on certain conditions. The book ''The prostitution in the city of Paris'' written by Alexandre Parent-Duchatelet is a research on prostitution in the nineteenth century regarding various aspects: moral, administrative and hygienist and represented a code, a starting point for doctors, historians, researchers who have tried to understand and deepen this topic. Condemned by the Church and by society itself, prostitution became increasingly a recognized subject, tolerated and controlled by the state. Prostitution becomes legalized and supervised. Prostitutes are registered and locked in brothels, controlled through hygienic sanitary controls, and deprived of any personal freedom. Finally there is a fall of the reglementarist project and prostitution transforms into another meaning. The house of tolerance loses the most of its clientele because of the clandestinity. Over the congresses of the 1880s, there are several differences regarding this subject. It was at that time that feminist Josephine Butler rose against reglementarism and organized an association dedicated to women's rights, considering that this practice became indignant and that it transformed the woman into a State victim. The Liberals with Yves Guillot did not agree with reglementarism, claming that a woman is free of his body. For the liberal abolitionists venal love is voluntary, agreed by both man and woman and the State does not have the right to intervene, because woman body is seen as the property of the woman who can use it as she wants. In any cases, what is important to remember is that prostitution was considered differently over time depending on the currents and the contexts of the times that influenced the habits and the decisions.