Attitudes and use of pornography in the Norwegian population 2002

Journal of Sex Research, May, 2004 by Bente Traeen, Kristin Spitznogle, Alexandra Beverfjord

Significant macrosociological changes have taken place in post-war Norway. Education can be seen as a prerequisite for social mobility (Ramsoy, 1977). During the 1960s in Norway, the sons of the working class and the daughters of the middle class entered the universities. As a consequence of this social mobility, the percentage of the population belonging to the middle class grew, and women became more independent of men economically and culturally. It is likely that such a macrosocial change will in turn have consequences in the area of sexuality. This is reflected in the fact that men and women have become more similar in sexual behavior and attitudes during the past decades (Lewin, 1997; Traeen & Stigum, 1998). It is likely that the pornography industry has caught up with changes in the market due to women's increased social influence economically and culturally, and has adjusted to these changes. Women are likely to be regarded by the industry as a new income group. The pornography industry is adjustable to the market and assisted by trends in fashion that promote clothing with icons traditionally associated with taboo and shame. Such icons may include see-through clothing and "S&M"-type trappings such as black leather, as well as short t-shirts with the inscription "porn star" that expose the bare waistline, which have recently become popular particularly among young girls.

Fashion and trends are usually associated with youth and being or feeling young. In this study, persons younger than 25 years reported higher use of pornography, and persons ages 25 to 40 years reported more positive attitudes toward pornography, compared to persons in other age groups. For some adolescents and young adults, pornography may serve as a type of sex education and may thus also become an agent of sexual socialization (Trostle, 2003; Zillman, 2000). That the young use more pornography than the older may be related to having or not having a permanent partner. It is known from a study in Sweden that men without a steady partner use pornography mainly alone, whereas women in a steady relationship use pornography together with the partner as part of the sexual game (Lewin, 1997). That age (and gender) is so important when it comes to use of pornography on the Internet may reflect that in Norway it is particularly young adult men who use the Internet. According to the Norwegian media barometer 2002, 49% of 16- to 24-year-old men and 55% of 25- to 44-year-old men used the Internet daily, compared to 42% and 40% of women in the same age groups (Statistics Norway, 2003). However, it is also known that for some immigrant and ethnic teenage boys and girls, the chat channels on the Internet serve as an important arena for arranging sexual meetings (Zaman, 2002). It is claimed that many of these immigrant girls use the chat channels because they are not allowed by their families to enter social arenas where adolescents otherwise meet their partners. Norwegians probably also use the Internet as an arena to meet potential new sex partners.