More women are searching for and watching porn than ever before, according to new figures released by a leading online adult entertainment site.
Data from Pornhub revealed the search term ‘porn for women’ had increased by 1400 per cent since 2015.
The study’s also showed that 359 per cent more women logged on to the site over the same period.
Here, Sydney sexologist Dr Nikki Goldstein explains the reasons why more women are now admitting they enjoy watching porn.
New research from online site Pornhub has revealed the search term ‘porn for women’ has increased by 1400 per cent since 2015 (stock image)
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the expert said part of the problem with women and porn is that society has long held the view that women are not as sexual as men.
‘I feel like that’s something we’ve become accustomed to thinking, but it’s completely false.
Sydney sexologist Dr Nikki Goldstein (pictured) explains why more women are turning to porn and how it can be a positive embrace of female sexuality
‘There’s an idea that women are supposed to be demure and nurturing, or if we’re too tough, we’re ball busters.
‘But more women are putting their hand up to say “I enjoy porn”, and more companies are specifically targeting content towards women.
‘That’s when we start to myth-bust and realise women are sexual beings, just like men. They desire sex, and they enjoy watching sex.’
‘More women are putting their hand up to say “I enjoy porn”, and more companies are specifically targeting content towards women,’ said Dr Goldstein
She said it’s high time women stopped feeling guilty about watching porn because ‘it’s just sexy entertainment.’
‘Women indulge in the same sorts of sexual fantasies as men and we also like to indulge in it from a visual point of view,’ she said.
In 2016, Pornhub found women accounted for 30 per cent of the porn viewed in Australia. This figure was four per cent above the global average of 26 per cent.
Dr Goldstein said the increase can be put down to more women having access to online sites where porn can be watched with less social stigma or shame.
Dr Goldstein said the key thing to remember about watching porn is that it’s entertainment, and shouldn’t be thought of as reality, no matter how ‘real’ it might look (stock image)
‘In the past women may have found it really difficult to walk into an adult boutique or “bookshop” and buy a DVD.
‘Now she can jump online, watch free stuff, she can buy movies, and nobody besides herself or her partner has to have any inkling of what she is doing.’
But while Dr Goldstein is an advocate for women watching porn, she does warn it needs to be viewed strictly as entertainment and should never be thought of as reality.
Women indulge in the same sorts of sexual fantasies as men do and we also like to indulge in it from a visual point of view, said Dr Goldstein
‘Porn stars say they don’t have real sex on camera, and people at home should not be copying what they do.’
She explained there was a lot that went into a porn scene that people don’t see when they’re watching the finished product, and this can put pressure on women, to feel they too might be expected to perform a certain way.
‘Remember, you are not a porn star, you are an everyday person. You don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. You don’t know what preparation is involved.’
Anna Richards (pictured) is founder of female-friendly porn site Frolic Me
Anna Richards, founder of online erotica site Frolic Me, started her business, now a global sensation, in 2015 as a way of creating a more sophisticated porn experience.
Part of her motivation to make better quality porn was to get away from the ‘eight-minute quickie’ films found on the bigger internet sites, she said in an interview with Mamamia.
‘The women often look uncomfortable and the whole thing can be overly graphic and degrading. I wanted to see beautiful locations, a diverse range of happy women and couples and mostly I just wanted to see great looking sex of every persuasion!’
Dr Goldstein also agreed it can be really helpful for women to watch porn that portrays women in a more favourable light.
‘There’s a lot of porn out there that’s very positive. There are different types of women in all different types of porn.’
She said women shouldn’t ever settle for watching porn that makes them feel bad about themselves in any way.
‘Look around and find porn where you identify with the woman. That can alleviate the pressure to think you have to look a certain way in order to be sexy, she concluded.