But with the contemporary phenomenon of women creating pornography, the question arose of whether men and women respond differently to pornographic material. Kinsey speculated that there could be some neurophysiological reason for a difference, but a West German research team studied the responses of men and women to pornography and found them to be comparable emotionally, physically and behaviorally. Psychologist Julia Heiman's work found that there are both sex differences and other differences in responses, but women are not inherently less capable of responding to pornography. Women and men, she found, respond more to that which they like. As with many issues, our society is not in agreement about the topic of pornography.
Pornography is mass produced and widely available, yet is just as widely distrusted and condemned.
We have laws against obscenity but cannot define it. We believe that somehow pornography is harmful, yet can find no evidence of harm. It would most likely require a major cultural shift for society to feel comfortable about repealing all legislation against pornography. Equally, it would take as large a shift to enforce total prohibition. Ultimately, it is an individual's personal beliefs that determine what is acceptable and what is obscene.