From Courtship to “Occasional Prostitution”: Acceptable and Unacceptable Public Displays of Sexuality in Canada from 1880 to 1920

This paper explores the sexual regulation and the social construction of sexual norms for men and women in the period of 1880 to 1920 in Canada. At this time, sexuality was closely tied with reputation, character, and morality, which required strict regulation of behaviour. With the growth of urban centers, social norms were tested, resulting in what I call an "early dating culture," which was mistaken as "occasional prostitution." I argue that as “proper” societal norms were tested by the effects of urbanization, there emerged an early dating culture that challenged notions of morality in relation to acceptable and unacceptable public displays of heterosexuality.