Tim Paine scandal: Why do men send unsolicited explicit pics?

Tim Paine stood down from the cricket captaincy. Photo / Chris Kidd/News Ltd

An expert has revealed why men send explicit messages to women and says it's more common among those who play sports, in the wake of former Australian test cricket captain Tim Paine's sexting scandal.

The Tasmanian wicketkeeper stood down from his role as Australian skipper last week after it was revealed he had sent a "dick pic" and lewd messages to a former colleague at Cricket Tasmania, who then made a complaint about the exchange.

The father-of-two was cleared by Cricket Australia's integrity unit after an investigation in 2018. A Cricket Tasmania investigation also found the interaction was consensual, and cleared Paine of any breach of its code of conduct.

Dr Andrea Waling has extensively researched the sending of intimate or explicit messages while a member of La Trobe University's Australian Research Centre in Sex, publishing multiple papers on the topic.

Waling said consensual sharing of intimate images was extremely common between adults, but that the reasons for sending non-consensual images were very different to those behind sending a consensual photo.

"Sending these types of pictures in relationships, and out of relationships, is very common and very normal. When these are sent consensually it is just another aspect of flirting or your sex life," she told news.com.au.

"When the images are sent without consent, it is a form of harassment.

Tim Paine's career has been torn apart by the revelations. Photo / Getty Images

"What is happening, the person sending the picture is forcing someone into a sexual situation they are not wanting to be a part of. We have found that to be a common driver for other men it might be a thrill or they get some gratification, and others do it to test the waters and see whether the person might respond favourably."

Dr Waling added that her research has found men who were typically involved in all-male activities like sports clubs, fraternities and graduates of all-boys schools were more likely to send unsolicited images.

"It is following on from the idea of locker-room talk. These are the places where really problematic conversations and practices take place," she said.

"In these blokey or sporting settings we know they tend to be the places where misogyny, sexism and sexual violence breed. Boys and men encourage each other to take part in bad practices.

"We only need to look at the situation with the NRL and all those sex tapes or intimate images being leaked or spread. Within those boys-only spaces, we see the objectification of women's bodies."