A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil

"The supreme religious test of our social order is the hideous commerce of prostitution."-Jane Addams

A groundbreaking investigation into prostitution and the social forces that sustain it.

In this powerful work, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jane Addams confronts the reality of prostitution as one of the most revealing tests of modern society. Drawing on her experience as founder of Hull House in Chicago, she examines the economic, social, and cultural conditions that push women into sexual exploitation.

Rejecting the idea that prostitution is simply a moral failing, Addams demonstrates how poverty, limited education, unsafe working conditions, and gender inequality combine to create systems of sexual exploitation. She argues that prostitution must be understood as a social problem requiring social solutions.

Far ahead of her time, Addams calls for a new public conscience grounded in justice and compassion. She advocates practical reforms including improved labor conditions, better education, and stronger social protection for vulnerable women and girls.

Both courageous and humane, this classic work remains one of the earliest and most influential studies of prostitution as a social issue. It stands as a landmark in the history of feminism, social reform, and the fight against exploitation.

Jane Addams (1860-1935), often called the "Mother of Social Work," was a pioneering social reformer and co-founder of Hull House in Chicago. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931, she remains one of the most influential figures in the history of social justice and humanitarian reform.