Why Do You Watch This Rough Stuff? Understanding Women's Paradoxical Pornography Preferences

Different sources show a notable interest among women in pornographic themes related to dominance and submission, including non-consensual sexual encounters. This phenomenon has been labeled a paradox. To research factors driving the use of such pornography, we adopted a comprehensive biopsychosocial approach. Our study involved an online sample of 571 women, designed to be demographically close to age and education levels in Germany. Participants were exposed to consensual or non-consensual literature-based pornographic stimuli, and their sexual arousal was assessed. Additionally, we examined various traits encompassing societal influences (rape myth acceptance, prior use of violent sexual pornography) and biological-evolutionary factors (sex drive, K-factor, onset of menarche).Our findings revealed significant main effects of rape myth acceptance and sex drive on sexual arousal in response to both stimuli. Prior consumption of violent sexual pornography demonstrated an interaction, suggesting potential desensitization to more conventional pornographic content. Traits associated with life history, such as the K-factor and the onset of menarche, did not influence sexual arousal. These results prompt a discussion within the context of proximate influences, such as socialization. Our interpretation does not support the notion of a minority engaging in fast life history strategies among women, as suggested in prior research.