A qualitative approach to the positions towards prostitution through social discourse: socioeducational perspective

<p>The social debate on prostitution is polarized into two basic viewpoints or positions: abolition and regulation. These stances emerge from the Social representations of the people who participate in the debate. The aim of this study is to offer an approach to measure the social representation on the topic of prostitution in young university students using the group discussion technique. Four women's discussion groups, four men's groups and one mixed sex group were formed. The content analysis, made with the software Nvivo10, reveals the presence of both stances in the emerging social representation of the students and provides a common framework of definition.In the discussion groups, the focus is on women prostitutes staying hidden away, men as the consumer and the patriarchal model of sexuality that persists. The themes of economics and employment also form an important part of the discussions. The arguments against prostitution are articulated around: (1) stigma and degradation of women, (2) the lack of ethical legitimacy, (3) it's never a free choice for the women nor legitimate for the men f. The arguments in favour are articulated around: (1) It's an agreement between people who are free to choose, (2) it fulfils a social function, (3) it's neither degrading nor ethically reprehensible for women. The analysis of these discourses is essential for an adequate social pedagogy aimed at promoting gender equality values and shedding light on positions of power in gender relations.