Socialization & Relationship Outcomes
What motivates men to not consume pornography? Moving beyond themes of addiction and abstinence.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
This article presents a thematic analysis of responses from an international qualitative survey of men who do not consume pornography. We find the two most common reasons given by respondents relate to sexism, misogyny and violence against women, and varied conceptualisations of harm to the self. A significant minority of responses contained interrelated or overlapping themes, attesting to the complex thinking and multiple factors that many men detailed around their decision to stop using pornography. This empirical contribution builds on limited, extant work considering particular cohorts of men who wish to ‘quit’ pornography (for example, Burke and Haltom, 2020; Fernandez et al, 2021; Jovanovski and Tyler, 2023) and seeks to expand discussions about men’s motivations to end their ‘commitment’ to pornography (Garner, 2016) beyond notions of addiction and abstinence. While not all respondents gave feminist or pro-feminist reasoning for their non-consumption of pornography, that some men clearly did consider issues of violence against women in their decision-making should be of particular interest to researchers and practitioners focused on gender-based violence. In an era of ubiquitous pornography consumption, these men’s experiences show an alternative path which might help to open further discussions around gender equality and sexuality.
Relevance
“The two most dominant themes identified in the answers provided” for why the men did not use pornography were: “issues of sexism, misogyny and violence against women (37 responses); and, that pornography consumption was in some way harmful to the respondent (36 responses).”
Regarding the first theme, “there were frequent assertions that pornography objectifies, demeans, devalues, or degrades women.” There “was also crossover between concerns around gender inequality and violence against women. Some respondents linked issues of degradation, disrespect and misogyny to more material harms like trafficking.” Some of the men, too, “focused specifically on harm and violence, occasionally referring to pornography itself as violence or rape.” Some respondents also “noted overarching structures of oppression and exploitation.”
In regard to the second theme, men stressed the harms of pornography to wellbeing, health (physical, mental, spiritual, sexual, emotional), character, self-esteem, and joy. Some noted that pornography can lead to erectile dysfunction.
(Less common reasons for not using pornography were “relational reasons (24 responses); religious reasons (19 responses) and pornography as fake and/or real sex as preferable (19 responses). Finally, there were three less-common themes around not needing pornography (ten responses); nongendered issues of harm or exploitation (nine responses) and explicit reflections on the role of men or masculinity (eight responses”.)
The study “makes clear that there are men who link their own understanding of pornography non-consumption to concerns about violence against women and gender inequality. This can be the basis to further discussion about equality in sexual relationships and creating space for men and women to talk about both the connections they see between pornography and sexual violence as well as what it might mean to engage in a sexuality free from pornography. In a global environment where pornography consumption is ubiquitous for many young men, amplifying the voices of men who opt out of this norm and challenge established notions of hegemonic masculinity by displaying concern for others and care to address harm shows a vital, alternative path.”
Citation
Tyler, M., & Jovanovski, N. (2025). What motivates men to not consume pornography? Moving beyond themes of addiction and abstinence. Journal of Gender-Based Violence. https://doi.org/10.1332/23986808Y2025D000000068
