Women and pornography
Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland) (Lab): Many Members have given horrific examples of violence against women. They have also commented that it takes place within a general culture. I should like to make a few remarks about that second point.
I find the sexualisation of our culture and the normalisation of the sex industry most alarming. The growth of pornography and anti-female lyrics in the pop music industry is a major influence on young people. Its impact on male attitudes towards women and on women’s internalisation of negativity is serious. Men are believing that there is a connection between sex and violence, and academic research has shown that they are acting out those fantasies in private. At the same time, women are being encouraged to believe that it is appropriate.
I do not want to detain the Chamber, so I shall provide just one example to illustrate my point. On the internet, one can buy a talking dartboard, shaped like a naked woman’s torso, which will “squeal with delight” when hit. Object, a campaign group that analyses pornography, has received legal advice stating that the courts are highly unlikely to consider the product indecent under the Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981.
The Home Office is working to deal with extreme pornography, but the constant proliferation of what is coyly called soft pornography is also a problem. I am extremely unwilling to allow my daughter, who is nine, to do the things that her brother was able to do 10 years ago. I do not want her to go to the local newsagent to buy sweets or to collect the Sunday newspaper, because she will be bombarded with such images. I am sure that mothers and fathers up and down the country are similarly concerned about the impact of certain images on their children. Children internalise the images at a very early age, and girls are made to feel that the world is an unsafe place in which to live.
I hope very much that hon. Members will consider signing early-day motion 1622, which was tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) and addresses the need to restore the top shelf to what it was. Some of us had a useful meeting yesterday afternoon in an all-party group that included men and women—Members of this and the other place. I hope that we can take early steps on that issue.
We need to think more deeply not only about the practical things but about more radical measures. We need to think about introducing a legal definition of pornography, which we do not have currently, and about the possibility of introducing gender-hatred legislation, because the language that is used about women and the images that are produced of women would be ruled to be totally unacceptable if they related to people of different races or different religions. We should extend the respect agenda to women.
Speech in the House of Commons, 9 March 2006
