Attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors : the relationships between ambivalent sexism, sexual fantasies, and use of erotica : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

Limited evidence shows that viewing erotica (aka pornography) may be linked with hostile and violent attitudes and behaviors toward women. (Malamuth, Addison & Koss, 2000, Can & VanDeusen, 2004). This study examines the relationships between sexual fantasy, ambivalent sexism and use of erotica to see if there is support for this assumption. Men and women were asked to complete a number of questionnaires including the Wilson Sex Fantasy Questionnaire (SFQ) (Wilson, 1988), Use of Erotica Scale (UoE) and Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) (Glick & Fiske, 1996). Responses to the survey indicate that while there is a positive correlation between sexual fantasies and erotica use, there are little to no correlations between these items and ambivalent sexism. This may indicate that fantasy and erotica use have little impact on attitudes toward women, meaning public negativity toward erotica may be misplaced. A low number of male respondents and difficulty relating the ASI to other measures included in the online questionnaire are limitations of this study.