Historically and culturally, our understanding of porn addiction has been centered on men. As a consequence, there is a gap in our understanding of female porn experience and female porn addiction.
Societal bias normalizes male sexuality but stigmatizes female sexuality and desire. The stigma and taboo about female addicted to porn, often results in underreporting of porn use and a reluctance to seek help. As a result, the myths and misconceptions about female sexuality and porn addiction continue to perpetuate.
Traditionally, it was believed that women preferred romantic and erotic pornography. But, recent data from Pornhub shows that women are searching for more extreme content with themes of sexual power. Studies have also discovered the link between porn consumption and trauma in women.
As the number of women watching porn increases, their risk of porn addiction also increases.
So, we must update our understanding about the different aspects of women addicted to porn.
How Many Women Watch Porn?
Gender is an important determinant of porn consumption patterns. Fewer women than men watch porn. Women also watch porn less frequently than men.
If we look at the data from Pornhub, 29% of its visitors are women. Studies have also reported that more than 50% of women have watched porn in the past month, and 34.9% of women have watched porn at least once in their lifetime.
Age is also an influencing factor for female porn consumption. Studies have found that 76% of women aged 18-30 watch pornography, and it decreases to 16% by the age of 50.
The number of women watching porn is also consistently increasing.
According to the Porn Phenomenon Study (2014) by the Barna Group, 39% of women actively sought out pornography. In their follow-up study, Beyond the Porn Phenomenon, conducted in 2024, the number of women watching porn had risen to 44%.
What do women consider “Porn”?
Before we take a deep dive into women addicted to porn, let us understand what women consider porn.
Research has shown that men prefer visual forms of stimulation, such as pornographic images and videos. Whereas for women, pornography includes a broader range of online activities beyond the traditional explicit content.
Women tend to prefer interactive forms of porn, such as chat rooms, webcams, and social media, to adult websites.
Women are more likely to use erotica (literature or visual art) or audio porn than webcams or content on adult websites. They are also more oriented towards ‘porn with a plot’ like 50 Shades of Grey.
In a contradiction that underlines the complexity of female porn consumption, women are also more likely to seek out extreme forms of pornography. More women than men look for genres such as BDSM, rough sex, gang bang and double penetration.
Pornography Impacts Women in Ways Different from Men
There are significant differences between male and female experiences of pornography.
Cultural taboos and social stigma can heighten the feelings of guilt and shame about porn for women. So, women often feel guiltier about pornography use than men. Women who watch pornography are also likely to develop a negative body image and feel the pressure to perform the acts seen in porn.
1. Emotional Impacts of Pornography on Women
Research has also found that the emotional effects of porn consumption are also different for women. After porn consumption, women are likely to report feelings of sexual arousal, guilt, happiness, and a desire for intimacy. On the contrary, men were likely to report feelings of stress relief, sadness, loneliness, and disgust.
Pornography also promotes the ‘heterosexual schema’ among women. As a result, women can internalize the belief that they are weaker, less intelligent, submissive, and willing to be sexually dominated or assaulted.
2. Impact of Pornography on the Sex Lives of Women
Women with higher rates of pornography watching are more likely to think about pornography during sex with their partner. They are also more likely to rely on pornography to achieve sexual arousal and relief during partnered sex.
Women have also reported that watching porn contributes positively to their enjoyment of sex in real life. When it comes to the risk of Problematic Porn Use (PPU), men are more at risk than women. But, we should keep in mind that only 3% of women admit to porn addiction, and these numbers are likely underreported.
Why Do Women Use Porn? Underlying Causes and Contributing Factors –
In order to understand the female addicted to porn, the causes and contributing factors for porn use become significant. Women watch porn not only for sexual gratification but for more complex emotional and psychological reasons.
- Sexual arousal and gratification is a common motivation for watching porn among women and men.
- The physical sensation of pleasure caused by the release of neurochemicals, such as dopamine and oxytocin, makes women watch porn.
- Women rely on porn as a tool for sexual learning and exploration of their sexuality.
- Loneliness and isolation can make women turn to porn for intimacy and connection. If the women are dissatisfied in their real-life relationships, porn gives them an escape.
- Mental health factors such as anxiety, stress, loneliness, and low self-esteem can make women look to porn for solace.
- The fantasy and escapism of porn are appealing to women’s imaginative nature. They use porn as a dreamlike escape.
- Women are more likely to watch porn with their partners to add novelty to their sex life.
Porn as a Coping Mechanism for Trauma and Abuse
Unresolved trauma, whether in childhood or adulthood, is a major underlying factor for porn use and addiction among women.
Porn can help the women disassociate from the lingering aftereffects of traumatic experiences. The fantasy and escapism of porn helps to find relief from intrusive thoughts and emotional flashbacks of the traumatic experience.
Women who have experienced the trauma of abuse (sexual or otherwise) can use porn to self-medicate. In such cases, porn becomes a coping mechanism for dealing with mental health issues such as PTSD and anxiety.
In case of sexual abuse, women might develop a condition called “re-enactment porn addiction.” Here, the women compulsively engage with pornographic content that mirrors their sexual abuse experience. Such porn gives them a false sense of control over a past event which can not be controlled or changed.
In the case of childhood abuse and neglect, porn can become a tool for self-soothing. The neurochemical pleasure reaction of porn consumption can provide relief from lingering emotional wounds.
Porn provides the women with temporary relief from intense emotions. But, as the underlying issue is not addressed, the feelings inevitably return and push the women back towards porn for relief. So, the women get into this vicious cycle where they become dependent on porn.
Pathways to Recovery and Support for Female Porn Addiction – 200
The shame and cultural taboos associated with women addicted to porn make recovery challenging. But, no matter how serious the porn addiction is, there is always a way back to healthy sexuality for female addicted to porn.
1. Therapy and support community
In cases of trauma, therapies such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and DBT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) can be valuable for recovery. You can also join Porn Addicts Anonymous or online communities for support.
2. Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness and meditation practice can help to manage stress and anxiety. These practices help to break your dependence on porn for emotional regulation and give you healthy coping mechanisms.
3. Physical activity
Porn addiction can create a neurochemical dependency in your brain for dopamine and serotonin. Physical activity such as dancing, yoga, or sports can help your brain secrete these chemicals to keep you happy and motivated.
4. Porn blocker
The Internet makes it easy and convenient to get your porn fix. So, add a porn blocker like blockP to prevent yourself from accessing porn in the moments of temptation and boredom. Porn blockers can also prevent relapses by protecting you from accidental exposure to porn.
How BlockP helps in stopping Porn?
The temptations of the internet are hard to resist. Even if you do not visit adult websites, you will constantly come across triggering images and videos on your social media feed. Moreover, porn is so conveniently available with just a click, it becomes hard to control yourself in the moments of temptation.
BlockP is the best adult content blocker that helps you take back control of your digital life. It protects you from accidental exposure to explicit content and helps you focus.
- BlockP uses AI to analyze and filter web pages, social media, and Apps in real-time. So, as you browse, explicit content will be blocked, preventing accidental exposure.
- Custom filters of BlockP let you block not only specific adult websites but also trigger keywords. The whitelist feature ensures unrestricted access to your preferred sites.
- The porn blocker provides password protection to prevent unblocking and uninstalling. BlockP’s filters work even if you are using the browser in incognito mode.
- BlockP has a supportive online community where you can seek help from others anonymously. It’s a safe space to find support without shame.
- Using the focus mode of BlockP, you can block distracting Apps during work hours and boost your productivity.
FAQ on Female Porn Addiction
1. What’s it like to be a female porn addict?
Porn addiction can make the women get into a vicious cycle of guilt and shame.
Due to socio-cultural stigma, women are more likely than men to view porn as immoral and shameful. So, female addicted to porn can feel intense guilt after watching porn. These strong negative emotions will make the women addicted to porn seek more porn for relief.
The female addicted to porn will feel a constant compulsion to watch explicit content to get that dopamine high. At the same time, the woman will go through intense anxiety and stress about her habit. The addiction might disrupt work and family life.
In spite of the emotional distress and self-loathing, women addicted to porn will find it hard to quit watching porn. As they build tolerance, females often seek more extreme forms of content to get the same level of arousal and satisfaction from pornography.
2. How common is porn addiction among women?
Almost 50% of women in the USA admit to watching porn. But, when we look at self-reporting of porn addiction, only 3% of women self-report to porn addiction. Considering the stigma around female porn consumption, it is safe to assume that the number of females addicted to porn could be much higher.
Women rely on more interactive forms such as chat rooms rather than traditional pornography. So, they might not recognize their behavior as problematic or addictive. The lack of research about women and their pornography experience also makes it harder to get an accurate picture.
3. What are the common signs and symptoms of porn addiction in women?
The most common signs and symptoms of porn addiction in women are –
- Compulsive viewing of pornography and an inability to stop watching it.
- Constant urge to watch porn and the inability to postpone porn consumption.
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms (depression, mood swings, low libido) when they try to quit porn.
- Using porn to deal with negative emotions such as sadness or anxiety.
- Intense feelings of guilt and self-loathing after watching porn.
- Disruptions to work, relationships, and family life due to porn consumption.
- Urge to seek more explicit and extreme pornographic content.
H3: How does porn addiction affect mental health and relationships?
Porn addiction makes the women feel anxious and guilty. The feelings of self-loathing and shame can result in social withdrawal. Porn can also make you feel depressed.
The unrealistic depictions in porn can make women develop self-consciousness and dissatisfaction with their bodies. The fantasy world of porn can make real-life sexual interactions feel dull and lower sexual satisfaction.
In relationships, porn addiction can cause trust issues. When a person uses porn, it can make their spouse or partner feel inadequate and betrayed. Porn addiction can cause intimacy issues and low libido, which increases the conflict and might even lead to divorce.