260 TAGE KEMP 



Only 35 per cent presented no distinct psychic abnormalities 



These figures tend to show clearly how far below the average is the psychic 

 habitus of these women, a fact which must be kept in mind, if one reflect 

 upon the causes of their fate and upon the manner in which society ought 

 to act towards them. 



As to the chief cause of their having become prostitutes, the examined 

 women themselves gave the following information : 



In 33 per cent penury owing to want of employment or other reasons. 

 Very frequently, low wages and, on the whole, the bad working conditions 

 for female hands were quoted. 



In 31 per cent was alleged pleasure-loving, the desire of going to dances 

 and restaurants, in many cases combined with fondness of liquor. 



In 1 1 per cent a tendency to vagrancy and vagabondage. 



In 1 1 per cent the influence exerted by pimps was alleged. 



As for the rest, many other reasons were mentioned, such as, for instance, 

 the influence exerted by companions, sisters and mothers, bad influence 

 during their stay at the hospital for venereal diseases, and childbirth out- 

 side the wedlock. Many of the examined had lapsed into prostitution 

 after a psychic trauma, which in certain cases had brought about a psycho- 

 genous depression, for instance by the sudden death of parents or husband, a 

 lover's breach of promise of marriage, or similar occurrences. 



A few had become prostitutes on coming from rural districts to the great 

 city, being young and unprotected and inexperienced; many unmarried 

 women had become prostitutes in order to sustain their children, and some 

 married ones in order to be able to keep up their homes. Two married 

 women with 4 and 6 legitimate children, respectively, had been induced by 

 penury, the one after her husband's death, the other on account of her 

 husband's protracted illness. 



Some declared themselves to be hypersexual, a very few confessed them- 

 selves contented with their trade, whereas by far the majority of them 

 never had cared for it and were only desirous of leaving it. 



There is no doubt that the constitutional factors are of great importance 

 amongst the causes of prostitution, but it is very difficult to obtain even an 

 approximately exact idea or standard for the role it actually plays. Just in a 

 group of individuals of this kind it will be particularly difficult, partly 

 because the hereditary factors, such as, for instance, psychopathy and 

 slight mental defects, which in many cases are involved, are difficult to 

 detect in relations, about whom very little is known, and partly because 

 these women as a rule are unable to give more than comparatively incom- 



