Exploring sexually explicit videos sought among women in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic: findings from an online survey using a stratified random sample

Abstract

So far, only a limited number of representative studies have been conducted on exposure to sexually explicit media in women. Existing research tends to focus on men, who form the majority of users of sexually explicit materials. This research aimed at identification of categories of sexually explicit videos sought by adult women in the Czech and Slovak Republics and examination of variables associated with overall frequency of use of sexually explicit media. A stratified sample of Czech (N=400) and Slovak (N=413) women who confirmed the use of sexually explicit materials and were aged between 18-76 completed an online questionnaire through online panels of respondents. Participants reported the overall frequency of sexually explicit materials sought and its related measures. Using linear regression, authors tested associations between the frequency of sexually explicit videos sought and sociodemographic data, variables related to sexual behaviour, and lifetime experience with sexually explicit videos. Results showed a high prevalence of seeking sexually explicit videos that depict normative heterosexual and female homosexual activities. No significant differences were found between the Czech and Slovak samples in searching for particular sexually explicit content. Authors found that younger age, higher frequency of masturbation, and higher sociosexual attitude score (measured by SOI-R) predict a higher frequency of searches for sexually explicit videos in both samples. This is the first empirical investigation of sexually explicit video content sought by women in the Czech and Slovak Republics. The findings suggest that there is a high prevalence of sexually explicit materials use in women in both countries (Czech Republic = 60.4% vs. Slovak Republic = 62%), but further investigation is necessary to assess the impact of sexually explicit materials exposure on women.