Porn-Watchers Think More Highly of Women, Says Science

It's no secret: There are some porn haters out there. While most of us would argue that the adult industry is making traction in mainstream entertainment (James Deen on Buzzfeed! 50 Shades of Grey legitimately produced in theaters! People not feeling as shitty about having sex in their real lives!), but we still have some progress to make. Lo and behold, we've finally made headway that would stand up against even the likes of Rick Santorum. It's called science, and it's been documented in the Journal of Sex Research.

Here's the skinny: The radical feminist theory purports that porn contributes to the devaluation of women as a whole (though there are, as we know, many female producers who make porn that promotes female sexuality and the female agenda overall). This, along with the notion that watching porn leads to sexual aggression, is an assumption, however, without empirical research to back it up. You, dear Fleshbot reader, likely know that these concepts along with a great many others occur as a result of conditioning and not necessarily critical thinking. But more on that later. 

Gender Equality From the Perspective of Porn-Lovers

The study is called now "Is Pornography Really about 'Making Hate to Women?' Pornography Users Hold More Gender Egalitarian Attitudes Than Nonusers in a Representative American Sample," because those were the results. Yes, you heard that correctly. Not only do porn-viewers not "make hate to women," but they also think more highly of women. This contrasted with the researcher's initial hypothesis: that porn users would hold more gender non-egalitarian attitudes than non-users. ResearchGate covered the study, interviewing lead writer Taylor Kohut on the subject.

You're right, according to radical feminist theory, pornography users should hold more gender non-egalitarian attitudes than non-users of pornography. We tested this basic hypothesis across five variables pulled from American General Social Survey data and did not find any supportive evidence. In fact, pornography users were more supportive of women in politics, more supportive of women working outside the home, and more supportive of women's access to abortion, than were non-users of pornography. 

With an interesting theory about conservatism in general: 

It's important to keep in mind that evidence of correlation should not imply causation. My colleagues and I think our findings are best explained by third-variable factors. There are certain groups of people (e.g., religious, social, and political conservatives) that avoid pornography use who also tend to hold more gender non-egalitarian attitudes. If we assume that there is no relationship between pornography use and gender egalitarianism, then including these people will lead to a positive bias in the results (i.e. more supportive gender-egalitarian attitudes among pornography users). Our findings may simply reflect the presence of people who avoid pornography use and hold more gender non-egalitarian attitudes in our sample. 

Which essentially means that since liberal people are more open to porn and liberal people tend to favor gender equality more than conservatives do, it might just be a coincidence. Either way, it's certainly thought-provoking. This all begs the ultimate question, though—why do some people see pornography in such a negative light? 

We know that some people respond to sexual stimuli with negative responses like disgust, while others do not. Other lines of research suggest that negative responses, particularly disgust, can guide moral reasoning. So, on this basis, it seems reasonable to suggest that people who are bothered by it will generate arguments that rationalize their moral judgments about the appropriateness of its production or use. 

Pornography: No Longer a Gentleman's Club

An interesting part of the radical feminist theory says that porn causes men to think of women only as sex objects meant for their control. It would seem to me, however, that this would be entirely dependent on the video itself in question—if a woman in a pornographic feature has agency over her sexuality and is, in fact, enjoying herself, as many women do during real-life sex, this theory would be remarkably irrelevant. I've written a great deal about pornographers like Erika Lust, who have ensured the female perspective is a major part of their films, proving that not all films end in a facial (which, I might add, some women do like.) 

And yes, you heard it from me: Women like to watch porn, too.