Pornography Addiction a Growing Problem Among Women
“It was an ordinary weekday morning when Caroline first noticed how much pornography was taking over her life. With 15 minutes to go before she was due to leave for a job interview, she opened up her laptop to print off an extra copy of her C.V. and there, onscreen, was a grab she’d saved from [a porn site].
“‘I remember the feeling of being sucked in, really wanting that two-minute fix, that numbness I got when I used porn,’ says Caroline. ‘I was stressed out, and I risked being late for my interview, but I pressed play anyway and fast-forwarded it to the bit I wanted. It took two minutes. … Afterwards I just hated myself for giving in and getting off on images that treated women like pieces of meat. But I kept going back.'”
Those are the opening paragraphs of a story from The Guardian called “Why More and More Women Are Using Pornography.” Revelations of female porn addiction are an eye-opening issue. Most people assume the problem is exclusive to testosterone-driven men. But a new study reveals that women are struggling with graphic sexual immorality in droves.
According to an October report from the Pew Research Center, 12 percent of U.S. adults who use the Internet admitted to watching “adult videos.” Twenty-five percent of them were male, and 8 percent were female.
Whether or not those numbers are accurate—it’s likely that many porn watchers didn’t admit it—they are rising. In 2007, only 6 percent admitted to watching adult videos. That means the overall rate has doubled in just six years.
But get this: Online porn viewership has quadrupled for women in just three years. A 2010 Pew report shows only 2 percent of women admitted to watching online porn. And again, it’s likely that the true numbers are even greater.
And that’s not the worst of it. CovenantEyes has gathered shocking statistics from various studies. Here are a few of them:
- According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Research, about half (49 percent) of young adult women agree that viewing pornography is an acceptable way of expressing one’s sexuality.
- Exposures to porn during childhood are not just brief glimpses. Some teen girls are viewing online pornography for a half-hour or more at a time, and 1 in 7 have done this on multiple occasions.
- Of the women in the Dirty Girls community, 87 percent say they feel or have felt “out of control” when it comes to the matter of masturbation; 70 percent say the same about sexual fantasies, according to Dirty Girls Ministries.
- Of the women in the Dirty Girls community, 45 percent said they started “habitually and compulsively” watching pornography or engaging in cybersex when they were 13-17 years old.
- Of the women in the Dirty Girls community, 27 percent say they feel or have felt “out of control” when it comes to sexually chatting online; 11 percent say the same thing about sexting.
What’s going on here? A principality known as Jezebel is spreading its immoral agenda into the mainstream. In Revelation 2:20, Jesus warned us of this wicked spirit and its doctrine: “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”
The spirit of Jezebel has a stronghold in this nation. You can trace back this seducing spirit to all manner of immorality and idolatry, including pornography. And Jezebel’s doctrine excuses the sin, making it socially acceptable to engage in sexually immoral acts (like viewing pornography) and eventually trapping women (and men) in bondage to their own lustful appetites.
But there is hope. Although much attention is focused on helping men break free from pornography addictions, ministries are rising up to help women find deliverance from this bondage. Beggar’s Daughter, Bethesda Workshops and Dirty Girls Ministries, among others, are offering God’s grace to women trapped in sexual sin. If you or a woman you know is addicted to pornography, I urge you to seek help. Jesus is your deliverer, and He won’t leave you trapped in Jezebel’s clutches.
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
