Desire and dilemma – gender differences in German students' consumption of pornography

In this paper we present the results of a study of the pornography consumption of German students between the ages of 20 and 30. Carried out in 2012 the study combined quantitative and qualitative data: 2082 students completed a question- naire and further depth was provided by means of 135 semi-structured interviews. Gender differences constituted the central focus of the study. We found that there is a higher incidence of male students who consume pornography, and that those male students who do so also consume pornography considerably more frequently. Amongst female respondents we found both self-confident and ambivalent consumers, although problematizing pornography consumption is not infrequent amongst young men. Both male and female respondents showed a high degree of competence regarding pornography, and pornography consump- tion and masturbation were closely linked for both. The article considers gender differences in porn consumption and the way that porn is consumed both in the context of solo sex and within sexual relationships.