Post-secondary women's positive experiences with pornography : a grounded theory explanation of initial exposure and subsequent use of sexually explicit materials

The intent of this research thesis is the examination of post-secondary women’s positive experiences with pornography. Very little research has been conducted with women who enjoy pornography and yet recent statistics in Canada and the United States show that there is an increasing amount of female users of pornography (Cantor, Mares, & Hyde, 2003). This study presents an emerging grounded theory of the process through which a small group of post-secondary women come to label their experiences with pornography as positive. The study traces the experiences of four post-secondary women in Western Canada from their initial exposure to pornography to their current use of the material. Results showed the importance of personal control in the development of female sexual identity and the enjoyment of pornography. This study is embedded in a social constructionist theoretical framework and offers recommendations for further research in the area. iii

Authors

• Petzanova, Iordanka
• University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education

• Pornography
• Women college students -- Attitudes
• Women -- Sexual behavior
• Dissertations, Academic

Identifier

hdl:10133/2484

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/2484