A Study on “No Fap” for Women?
Originally Published on March 18th, 2025 at 09:45 amMost often, when we talk about online communities for abstinence from pornography and masturbation, such as No Fap, we are talking about men.
Online forums purporting abstinence, particularly Reddit, are a predominantly male space. So, where do the women go?
While we know men more often report problematic sexual behavior than women, women do still struggle with PSB issues. Where is their safe space? A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior recently addressed this question.
A No Fap Study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior
The authors analyzed the posts from a women-only online forum called Porn Free Women.
Porn Free Women was developed because most pornography abstinence online spaces are dominated by men and many women did not feel comfortable or accepted participating in them.
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Therapeutic, Empowerment and Heteronormative
The analysis of the discussions revealed 16 predominant topics that fell within three themes:
- Therapeutic
- Empowerment
- Heteronormative
Half of the discussions fit the therapeutic theme. Pornography abstinence was discussed as overcoming adversity through healing and transformation. Here pornography was seen as addictive.
Over a quarter of the posts fit into the heteronormative theme. The discussions involved romantic relationships, identity anxiety and ideas of being a “real” woman.
The empowerment theme emphasized female empowerment and agency in building a supportive community to promote well-being.
Many of the women in the forum identified with the philosophy of pornography addiction.
Unlike men, many of these women use their own past sexual victimization to rationalize their entry into pornography addiction.
This study was interesting because it is one of the very few studies that look at a women’s perspective on desired abstinence from pornography. In a field dominated by heteronormative male voices, it is refreshing to see science finally take an interest in the female voices in the arena.
Reference
Zhang, X & Silva, D.E. (2024). “I feel like a fraud who acts like a feminist”: The discussion themes and sexual scripts in the Porn Free Women online forum. Archives of Sexual Behavior. Doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02858-w
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