How Many Women Watch Porn?

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Posted By: Brad Huddleston March 29, 2019

Do Women Look at Porn?

Brad Huddleston

If you’re still under the impression that porn addiction is primarily a “men’s issue,” think again. Anecdotally, Beth and I had females sharing their struggles with porn with us beginning several years ago. It’s continued gaining momentum to this day.

Approximately three years ago I produced a lengthy video series on the topic of pornography titled “Porneia: A Global Tragedy,” in which I cited a statistics from 2013 showing that 55% of women watch pornographic videos on their own. The survey went on to reveal that 96% have watched porn with a partner and say that it improves sex.1

I am privileged to be in collaboration with the University of South Africa’s Bureau of Market Research and its Neuroscience Division where I participate in research projects. 

In 2018, I participated in a research project with Dr. Antoinette Basson on the Blesser-Blessee Phenomenon.

Brad Huddleston video podcast with Marshall Shank, on pornography usage by both men and women within the Church and what to do about it. Marshall Shank is the Director of Outreach for ProvenMen.

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Our report defined it this way:

The so‐called ‘blesser‐blessee phenomenon’ has become a common occurrence among young people in South Africa. Frequent reports about young women finding themselves in sexual relationships with older male partners in exchange for monetary incentives abound.

This new form of the longstanding ‘sugar daddy’ relationship infiltrated different platforms including social media, with websites such as BlesserInc., Blesserfinder and Blesserfinder Mzansi, specifically targeting those individuals with the desire to be a blesser or blessee.

The ‘blesser‐blessee’ phenomenon can be described as a form of transactional sex, which has a number of similarities with prostitution, as it involves non‐marital sexual relationships, often with multiple partners, in exchange for financial or in‐kind incentives.

However, transactional sex also differs from prostitution, since participants are known as ‘boyfriends’ and ‘girlfriends’ and not ‘prostitutes’ and ‘clients’, and the exchange of gifts for sex is part of a broader set of obligations that might not involve a predetermined payment (Hunter, 2002).2

What is at the heart of this tragic trend?

You guessed it; pornography. Those who participated in the focus group discussions agreed that online pornography fuels the blesser-blessee phenomenon.

It was discovered that the majority of the young people we surveyed had been exposed to pornography at a young age, and during the focus groups, it was estimated that 80 – 100% of young males and 60 – 100% of young females view pornographic material.3

Here in the US, the dramatic rise in female usage of pornography hasn’t gone unnoticed. ProvenMen is a ministry that I also collaborate with, and they are dedicated to offering help to men who struggle with porn addiction. ProvenMen has now opened another “branch” of their ministry called ProvenWomen.

I recently interviewed Marshall Shank, the Director of Outreach for ProvenMen. In the above video podcast, we discuss these issues regarding pornography usage by both men and women within the Church. Most importantly, we talked about what to do about it. Please feel free to watch and share.

  1. dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2507752/Over-half-women-regularly-watch-porn-daring-40-admit-making-own.html
  2. Blesser_Blessee_Research_Report 11_May_2018_FINAL_EDITED.PDF
  3. ibid
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views the Virginia Christian Alliance

About the Author

Brad Huddleston
Brad Huddleston is an internationally respected speaker, consultant, teacher and author on important issues such as technology and culture. He has worked with universities, schools, churches and law enforcement, and spoken to hundreds of thousands around the world on both the advantages of well-used technology tools and the dangers of the growing trend toward technology addiction. Brad has an on-going collaboration with the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) and its Neuroscience Division at the University of South Africa. Brad has a degree in Computer Science and a Diploma of Biblical Studies and is a credentialed minister in the Acts 2 Alliance (A2A) movement in Australia. He's also a frequent guest on radio and television and author of Digital Cocaine: A Journey Toward iBalance and The Dark Side of Technology: Restoring Balance in the Digital Age. Brad and his wife, Beth, live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the United States.

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