Why Do Women View Pornography?

The myth is that women abhor pornography because it appeals to men’s sexual fantasies while ignoring women’s erotic sensibilities and needs. The corollary myth is that the few women who view porn do so reluctantly, pressured by male partners. Meanwhile, every year, audience audits by Pornhub, one of the world’s largest porn sites, show that one-quarter to one-third of its viewers are women—in 2023, 29 percent.

Pornhub knows that more than one-quarter of its audience is female, thanks to Google Analytics, a service that anonymously tracks Internet activity. I use Google Analytics myself to learn who visits the sex Q&A site I publish. I get the information Google Analytics provides for free—way more than I can absorb. Pornhub pays Google, and Analytics reveals a great deal more about its visitors’ online activity. If Pornhub visitors view, say, women’s fashion sites and buy romance fiction, cosmetics, purses, and baby supplies, Pornhub identifies them as women. I see no reason to doubt Pornhub’s figures for its women visitors.

If 29 percent of Pornhub’s 2023 visitors were women, it’s hard to believe so many could have been pressured into it. Some, sure, but it seems more likely that many, if not most, women visitors derive some benefit from watching porn. The question is: What benefit?

Recently, researchers explored this question in interviews with 30 women residing in the U.K. and Greece, average age 30. Considerable research shows that in interview studies like this one, 30 participants are sufficient to provide decent information, so this design appears credible. Fifteen participants identified as heterosexual, 13 bisexual, one queer, and one pansexual. Nineteen said they were married or in committed relationships, with seven singles, and four dating. A few called porn detrimental, but contrary to the conventional wisdom, most called it beneficial.

Positive: Sexual Reasons

Greater arousal, enhancement of self-sexing, an alternative to their own fantasies, to learn new sexual techniques, and to see same-gender sex:

• “It taught me how to give a good blowjob.”
• “When I started dating women, I watched to learn about lesbian sex.”
• “For sexual arousal.”
• “When I masturbate, I watch.”
• “Porn makes masturbation easier and more fun.”
• “Sometimes it’s nice to watch other people have sex.”
• “Thanks to porn, I know which positions I like. I’m better able to say what I like and what I don’t like, so it’s empowering.”
• “I used to be quite inhibited, but watching porn has helped change sex from an embarrassment to something positive. I’m more sexually confident now.”

Positive: Non-Sexual Reasons

To relax, combat boredom, and as entertainment:

• “It’s a good way to relax.”
• “It’s a little indulgence, something I can do for myself that’s just for me.”
• “I’m under a lot of stress. Porn helps me relax, almost like meditation.”
• “If I’m bored, I’ll watch some porn.”
• “I like porn with cartoon characters like The Simpsons. It’s entertaining.”

Positive: Anticipation of Sex

To prepare for sex, to feel more experimental and more willing to discuss lovemaking:

• “When I watch porn and then meet my partner, I feel hornier than usual.”
• “If I watch it, I’m more likely to want sex with my boyfriend.”
• “It’s helped me feel bolder, more willing to try different things.”
• “Porn encourages conversations about what I want sexually.”
• “It’s definitely given me ideas. Watching porn opened me up to threesomes and being tied up.”
• “I was never into BDSM, but watching porn made it look quite appealing. Now I’m into it.

Positive: Improvement of Body Image

Greater self-acceptance:

• “Porn has helped me feel less ashamed of my body.”
• “Lots of porn features big ladies. They’re beautiful. I’m big, too. Porn helped me accept my body.”
• “In my teens and twenties, I felt embarrassed about my flat chest. Porn shows loads of women with small [breasts]. They’re so sexy! And men really like them! I love my boobs now.”
• “I grew up feeling ashamed of my vulva. I wondered how anyone could enjoy looking between my legs. But porn shows women with all sorts of vulvas. That’s helped me overcome my shame.”

Negative: Worse Body Image, Unrealistic Sex

A minority of the women raised objections to porn:

• “I feel like I should look more like the women in porn, but I don’t.”
• “A lot of porn portrays blonde, white people. That’s not who I am.”
• “Some porn makes me feel bad about myself.”
• “Sometimes I compare myself to the women in porn. I have to remind myself that it’s OK not to look like that.”

What’s True?

The myth is that women abhor porn. But this study shows that many derive benefits. Other studies show similar findings:

• In an online survey, University of Arkansas investigators presented U.S. heterosexual couples, average age 36, with 17 possible reasons for viewing porn. The men’s and women’s top reasons were virtually identical: curiosity, boredom, masturbation enhancement, stress reduction, and as part of partner sex.
• Hungarian researchers asked a mixed-gender sample why they watched porn. For both men and women, the most common motivations were sexual pleasure, curiosity, fantasy, boredom, self-exploration, stress reduction, and lack of partner sex.
• A qualitative U.S. interview study of 30 women from diverse backgrounds showed that the top reasons for women’s porn viewing were increasing sexual arousal and enhancing masturbation.
• Researchers at the University of Western Ontario surveyed U.S. heterosexual couples about their pornography use. As viewing together increased, so did the couples’ closeness and the quality of their sexual communication.
• Researchers at the University of Liverpool, U.K., conducted interviews with 27 women, average age 34. They said porn enhanced their sexual fantasies and helped them experiment sexually with their partners. They also criticized porn for promoting patriarchal sexuality.
• University of Southampton, U.K., researchers reviewed and analyzed 17 studies and two Ph.D. theses about how women used porn to communicate with their partners about sex, to negotiate sexual likes and dislikes, and to increase intimacy. But some said they felt pressured to be sexual in ways they did not enjoy.

Pornography Essential Reads

Is Watching Porn Alone a Betrayal?

Can Porn Be Good For You?

Hundreds of studies have explored women’s feelings about pornography, with results all over the map. Commentators, myself included, cherry-pick the research to support their own points of view. I would never assert that women in general love porn. Many can’t stand it and never watch. But this study and many others show that the conventional wisdom—all women hate porn—is mistaken. Many women derive benefits from it, even if they dislike the way it presents women, which may explain why women comprise one-quarter to one-third of Pornhub’s audience.