Rates, Age, & Impact of Exposure to Pornography

Open Access: No.

Abstract

Pornography promotes sexual objectification by depicting people as bodies that are used primarily for sexual gratification. Across various methodologies, previous research has found positive associations between pornography use and sexually objectifying attitudes. However, there remains a need for multinational data collections to assess potential cross-cultural differences. In the present study, we collected data from heterosexual participants in four countries: Germany (n = 640), Korea (n = 799), Taiwan (n = 488), and the United States (n = 888). Using multigroup structural equation modeling, we found that gender and pornography use were significantly associated with sexually objectifying behaviors in each country evaluated. Specifically, people who more frequently watch pornography were more likely to endorse engaging in types of sexual objectification. Because these four countries were relatively homogenous regarding gender inequality, future studies should collect data from more diverse countries to investigate potential moderating effects of related cultural variables on the association between pornography use and sexual objectification.

Relevance

“Sexual objectification refers to the treatment of people merely as a body used primarily for sexual gratification.”  In all four countries studied, there was a “positive association” between the use of pornography – by both men and women – and sexually objectifying thoughts and behaviors.

Citation

Willis, M., Bridges, A. J., & Sun, C. (2022). Pornography use, gender, and sexual objectification: A multinational study. Sexuality & Culture, 26(4), 1298–1313. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-09943-z