Is pornography becoming a public health problem?
While access to pornography on the internet and the prevalence of pornography in popular culture have both increased in past decades, a new study by faculty associate Philip Cohen and Ph.D. candidate Lucia Lykke shows that men’s opposition to pornography has declined more than that of women. The study analyzes trends in attitudes about pornography in the United States between 1970 and 2012, and concludes that there is a definite gender gap in the acceptance of pornography, wherein about a quarter of men and over a third of women believe that pornography should be illegal.
This finding alludes to a larger debate about the impact of pornography on issues including societal perceptions of human sexuality, violence against women, and the health of relationships within families and communities. As results from the study suggest, a public conversation on the potential effects of pornography is warranted and necessary, given differences in what pornography means to men, women, and their relationships.