The definition of prostitute used in the study is "a person, especially a woman, who engages in sexual intercourse for money as a livelihood." The first chapter examines prostitution from the perspectives of the prostitute, the moralist, the scientist, and the jurist. The second chapter examines prostitution laws throughout Australia. This includes a historical review of the development of prostitution law. The implications and effects of three major legislative trends are considered: criminalization, legalization in Victoria, and decriminalization in New South Wales. Chapter three compares a sample of Sydney prostitutes with two high-status groups of women (health workers and university students) so as to determine the extent of difference between them. In chapter four, the working lives of the prostitute sample and other prostitutes are profiled and compared with earlier studies of Sydney prostitutes and sex workers in America. Descriptions of workplaces, the nature of sex work, and the men in the business are provided. Reasons prostitutes give for entering the business are compared to the popular view of their motivation. The final chapter reviews the information and analyses of the previous chapters and discusses decriminalization, the politicalization of prostitutes, and concord between feminists and prostitutes through an ideological integration. The future of prostitution in an increasingly sexually liberated society is also addressed. 81 tables, 23 figures, 126 references, 225-item bibliography, subject index, and appended methodological information.