Till Porn Do Us Part?

Abstract

Chapter 5 shows how pornography use shapes the romantic and family relationships of conservative Protestants in ways that are uniquely destructive. Specifically, he chapter draws on both quantitative data and qualitative interviews to explain why the sex lives and relationship quality of conservative Protestants tends to suffer more from pornography use compared to those of other Americans. Conservative Protestant men are more likely than other American men to hide their pornography use and lie about it, creating additional sources of conflict and distance between couples. Moreover, conservative Protestant women are more likely than other American women to consider pornography use as a form of “adultery” or “betrayal” and thus when pornography use is discovered, they are more likely to be traumatized by the incident or threaten divorce.