WOMEN'S MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES WITH PORNOGRAPHY

This study was designed to investigate and represent a spectrum of women's experiences with and attitudes toward pornography. Q methodology was used to achieve this goal. In Phase 1, 30 participants were recruited for their varying views on and experiences with pornography. These participants were interviewed on their beliefs about the role of sexually explicit materials in their lives. Ninety-eight Q-sort items were written to adequately represent the variety of themes present in the interview transcripts. Participants in Phase 2 were mature women students recruited from university classes and participants from Phase 1 who agreed to continue their participation ( N = 59). The participants sorted the 98 items in a manner that best represented their own experiences and views. The Q sorts were analyzed using principal components analysis. A five-factor solution represented five unique perspectives held by women within the sample. Four of these perspectives are discussed. Only two of these factors represent perspectives previously discussed in the psychological literature.