Is Pornography A Threat To The Freedom of Women?

Essay by renren July 2005

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Is Pornography A Threat To The Freedom of Women?

In today's wireless world, access to information is readily and quickly available.

Pornography is no exception and great concern has been raised at a social level about its effects. Pornography is certainly a threat to all women. Because the vast majority of pornography depicts women, they are particularly vulnerable to its effects. Many studies have demonstrated that pornography encourages aggressive behaviour in the viewer, encourages the oppression of women and works to eradicate all that has been accomplished by the women's movement.

Pornography in all forms has been proven in numerous studies to promote violence against women. This is mainly due to the fact the men, in viewing pornographic material, feel in control of women's sexual behaviour, and as a result begin this pursuit of women's sexuality themselves. Even when considering material of the slightest pornographic nature, it can strongly be said that portraying women as passive sex objects would encourage those males already inclined to commit violent acts against women (for whatever reason) to further do so.

In essence, exposure to pornography eventually desensitizes males to the sexual exploitation of women. Lastly, pornography works to solidify male superiority and female inferiority, since most pornography is targeted to the male population. It gives the freedom to a man to have a woman whenever and wherever he pleases, for example in a magazine or in a movie, in any fashion he desires. It is this freedom which imposes on the freedom of women. Women are not free if pornography increases aggressive behaviour, which in turn reduces their ability to walk down a dark street safely, park their car underground, etc.

Pornography also hinders the freedom of women since they are exploited in the making. The high monetary reward in the...