Charles Winick

Charles Winick (August 4, 1922 – July 4, 2015) was an American author, psychologist, professor of anthropology and sociology, and academician, noted for his work in the fields of gender, drug addiction, and prostitution.

After serving in the United States Army during World War II, he was a professor of sociology at Graduate Center of the City University of New York and the City College of New York, taught at Columbia University, and was the author of more than 40 books, including a book which lamented the decline in the difference between the genders, studies about prostitution in American society, and several books on drug addiction. Winick also challenged the accepted view of narcotics addiction, contending that opiates can be relatively safe for some users but cause harm because they are taken under adverse conditions.

Winick's book The New People: Desexualization in American Life, published in 1969, His writings also highlighted the sexualization and gender roles presented to children in advertising and popular culture, including criticizing Barbie dolls in a 1964 article, which was an unpopular observation at the time.

His views on drug addiction were controversial. found that three-quarters of a sampling of call girls had attempted suicide. The authors found that 15% of all suicides brought to public hospitals in the U.S. were prostitutes. The book also tracked the growth of homosexual and transvestite prostitution. It found that brothels and "madams" (female brothel owners) had largely become a thing of the past, and that though prostitution was a $1 billion-a-year industry, prostitutes were paid little more than clerical workers, earning $5,000 to $6,000 in 1971 dollars as annual net income for a six-day workweek.

Winick was also among the first jury consultants, using tools of sociology to advise lawyers on jury selection. Among the cases that he advised were those of Jean Harris and Claus von Bulow, both accused murderers, and many First Amendment cases.

Personal life Winick married to Mariann Pezzella (d. 2006), with whom he authored a number of books and articles. They had two children, Raphael and Laura Winick.