Sociology Commons^™

Portland’S Prostitution-Free Zone Ordinance : The Social Construction Of Prostitution As A Social Problem, Kristin Aman Christophersen

Dissertations and Theses

This study explored the process and the nature of the claims and claimsmaking activities in the most recent presentation of prostitution as a social problem calling for a specific response, the prostitution-free zone ordinance. Integrating the conceptual framework of Best's (1995) constructionist approach to social problems with Strauss and Corbin's (1990) grounded theory approach, this study examined 1) the role and influence of different claimsmakers and their claims in the passage and implementation of the prostitution-free zone ordinance, and 2) how three perspectives (social control, moral reform and radical feminism) are differentially reflected in claimsmakers' framing of prostitution, as well …