Women watch more porn after getting married, research finds

The researchers found the reverse trend in men as they report watching pornography less often after getting married

According to the research, women's use of pornographic material increases after marriage (iStock)

Women watch more pornography after getting married, while married men watch it less, research has suggested.

Researchers interviewed a hundred married men and women to establish how behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality change before and after marriage. Of female participants, 9 per cent reported viewing pornography before marriage while 28 per cent said they viewed it after marriage. The reverse trend was noted in married men; with 23 per cent saying they viewed it before marriage while 14 per cent viewed it after marriage.

In a report published by Sexologies Journal, the researchers conclude: “The findings reveal that the consumption of pornography increases after marriages in females and decreases in males with highly significant difference.”

They suggest: “Higher level of sexual desire has already been correlated with greater pornography use. Men after marriage are more involved in establishing their socioeconomic status in the society. Hence, their priorities may change from sexual fantasies to actual sexual practices with their female partners.”

One other possible interpretation is that marriage was not a deciding factor in itself but a reflector of age. Namely, that women now are more likely to feel less social stigma about viewing pornographic materials than in previous years and therefore the ‘before marriage/ after marriage’ control in the study in fact reflects age in the form of women reflecting on how sexually liberated they feel now compared to previous years. This would suggest that marriage in itself does not change a person’s use of pornography but rather that associated age factors are more influential.

The study also measured married couples’ preference for sexual acts, divided by gender. It found that 13 per cent of men and 12 per cent of women specified penetrative vaginal sex as preferred. 2 per cent of married men specified anal sex, compared to 0.4 per cent of married women and 5.9 per cent of men cited their favourite sexual act as engaging with sexual fantasies, rising to 6.9 per cent of women.