Pornography: The Politics of Legal Challenges

Pornography has been a controversial topic in legal and feminist debates since the 1970s, with women's social movements arguing that it contributes to violence against women. This book assesses American, Canadian, and Swedish legal challenges to the spread of pornography and constructs a political and legal theory for effectively challenging the sex industry under law. It argues that pornography is among the linchpins of sex inequality and that civil rights legislation and a civil society forum can empower those harmed.

Format: Hardback
Length: 552 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Pornography has been a contentious and divisive topic in legal and feminist discourse for many years. Women's social movements have been vigorously opposing pornography since the 1970s, highlighting its role in perpetuating violence against women. Research indicates that at least two to four out of ten young men consume pornography three times or more per week. The pornography industry disproportionately targets vulnerable populations, such as women, people of color, and individuals from low-income backgrounds, who are already multiply and intersectionally disadvantaged based on various factors such as gender, race, or sexual orientation. A comprehensive analytical review of empirical studies employing complementary methods reveals that the consumption of pornography significantly contributes to consumers becoming more sexually aggressive, on average, desensitizing them, and fostering a demand for more submissive, aggressive, and degrading materials. Furthermore, consumers are often found seeking to imitate pornography with unwilling partners, often resorting to coercive behavior and demanding sex from prostituted individuals who have limited or no alternatives. While the body of scientific evidence supporting the harms of pornography is rapidly expanding, the political landscape surrounding legal challenges to pornography remains complex and challenging. This book examines American, Canadian, and Swedish legal challenges to the rapid proliferation of pornography within their distinct democratic systems and develops a political and legal framework for effectively combating the sex industry under the law. The obstacles to this challenge are revealed to be more ideological and political than strictly legal, although they often manifest in legal arenas. Legal challenges to the harms are shown to be more effective in legal systems that prioritize equality and empower those who are most harmed, in contrast to state-enforced regulations (such as criminal obscenity laws).

Weight: 886g
Dimension: 168 x 244 x 46 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197598535