Essay Series 5.3: Pornography, which primarily shows men abusing women, has become a substitute for sex education in many parts of the country.

Sexual exploitation industries can include prostitution, pornography, stripping, massage parlors, and escort services. These activities generally involve men buying or selling access to girls’ and women’s bodies. Boys and vulnerable men are also bought and sold in this way, but less often.³⁶⁶

Pornography portrays women enjoying violent sex, mostly at the hands of men. About 87 percent of scenes in pornography portray aggression toward women; about 95 percent of those scenes show women enjoying the violence.³⁶⁷

Pornography offers men a chance to get sexual pleasure without risk and with no need to interact with a real person. This can be attractive to many men because society encourages them to avoid the vulnerability that an intimate relationship requires.³⁶⁸

Pornography is also readily available to young people. The average age at which many young people first view porn is about 12.³⁶⁹ Many of them do this before they receive any sex education at all.³⁷⁰ Unfortunately, sex education is likely to be inadequate in the United States and to focus on abstinence; that is, refraining from having sex at all.³⁷¹ See Essay 4.3 for more information.

So, many young people find their way to pornographic videos and images to get more information about sex. Since hardcore porn involves hatred and humiliation of girls and women, many young people may believe this type of sexual activity is the norm and what girls and women want. Studies from around the world show that exposure to pornography is associated with teenage boys being sexually aggressive toward girls and young women.³⁷²

Reflections

My first exposure to sex education happened during middle school. It focused on the mechanics of sex and the risk of pregnancy. I finally learned about sexual pleasure from the books Our Bodies, Ourselves and The Joy of Sex. These publications were readily available to me in my late teens and early 20s, so I didn’t have to resort to pornography for information.

Sex education in many states and schools is often inadequate, incorrect, or unavailable. Due to book-banning, many libraries don’t have informative books about sex available. Planned Parenthood, which can be a good source of information and assistance related to sexuality and birth control, is losing governmental funding. For a fuller discussion of these issues, please see Essay 4.3.

This essay indicates that pornography is a major route for many young people in the United States to try to get information about sex. However, pornography provides a warped model of sexual activity that can harm women and men. It can distort young people’s understanding of healthy sexuality.

What is your experience with pornography?