Feminist Response To Pornography

1. INTRODUCTION

Pornography is derived from the Greek words ‘Porno’ which means prostitute and ‘graphy’ which means to write. However the meaning of the term does not mean that these are written materials about prostitutes, it has a wider understanding. However the term pornography does not have a very specific definition also, Justice Stewart in Jacobellis v. Ohio 378 US 184 (1964) stated that he can’t define pornography but would understand it when he sees it. In understanding pornography we first start by making a simple definition to it, ‘Pornography is any material (either pictures or words) that is sexually explicit’. Over here sexually explicit is a term which can vary from culture to culture, for example in one culture going nude can

Feminists have begun to articulate their opposition to pornography, to organize and demonstrate, and to secure the passage of anti-pornography laws. Feminists considerably differ from both conservatives and liberals in the sense that the focal point of the feminist view is neither virtue nor liberty, but instead the primary focus of feminists is on equality. This to say that unlike the moral conservatives, who object to pornography on the grounds of obscenity of its sexual explicit content and its impact on our conservative way of life, the feminist objection to pornography is on the role that pornography is thought to play in exploitation and oppression of

First, relates to the factors that cause women to choose pornography industry. Feminist, believe that strong social factors such as poverty, responsibility for childcare, etc. may motivate women’s participation, and the presence of these factors, suggest that the participation though voluntary can rarely be conceived as voluntary. Considering these forces together with the personal and commercial exploitation common in the pornography industry, it seems reasonable to view women as harmed by their participation in the production of pornography. Hence feminists demand guarantee of better wages, working conditions, and job security; more ambitiously, it seems important to eliminate the social and economic forces that motivate women to participate in pornography.
2. Second, pornography indirectly functions as an influential form of propaganda advocating male domination of women. This propaganda is all the more effective because of the popular view that pornography is primarily about power rather than sex, provides a basis for its social acceptance. This propaganda works to shape and maintain attitudes and behaviours that stabilize structures of male domination and increase the likelihood that society will tolerate violence against