More Than Just Pleasure: A Study on Finnish Women's Use of Pornography

Abstract

This thesis analyses Finnish women’s experiences of using pornography. Pornography studies is a large and vibrant field of study but qualitative research on women’s use of pornography is rare, particularly in the Finnish context. The aim of this thesis is to find out how Finnish women navigate the male-oriented world of pornography. The thesis analyses the experiences of 159 study participants who were recruited from a Finnish feminist Facebook group. All participants filled in a survey that included both open- and closed-ended questions and six participants were also interviewed. The thesis focuses on what the role of pornography is in the participants’ lives, why they think that pornography is male-oriented and how they navigate the ethics of pornography. Participants described pornography’s role in their lives in mixed terms. On the one hand, pornography has a primarily positive role in their lives and is seen as a useful tool for pleasure and sexual exploration. On the other hand, using pornography together with a partner or a partner’s perceived addiction to pornography can complicate romantic and sexual relationships. Furthermore, while participants enjoy pornography, they also identify many problems with it. They describe pornography as male-oriented, a claim they base on pornography’s portrayals of men and women, as well as aspects of pornography that they describe as fake. They are also concerned about violent and degrading content and how performers are treated in pornography production. Participants expressed frustration at how difficult it is to know how ethically pornography is made. As a result, some have resorted to assessing the ethicalness of pornography through its aesthetics rather than concrete information about working conditions.