Taking the Pill after the ‘sexual revolution’: female contraceptive decisions in England and West Germany in the 1970s

Abstract

A method of birth control often called ‘revolutionary’ was implemented in many Western countries in the 1960s. The contraceptive pill allowed women to engage in sexual experiences without the permanent fear of pregnancy. This safe method was especially important for the group of unmarried or newlywed women who were in the middle of their academic or vocational education and wanted to combine career and family life. In the 1970s, however, and especially under the influence of the Women's Liberation Movement, attitudes towards the Pill changed. It was no longer seen as an emancipation of female sexuality, but as an instrument of the on-going male domination of sexuality and society in general. According to this point of view, issues such as sexuality and contraception that had so far been regarded as ‘private’ became political. Women now directly linked their very personal intimate experiences and questions of power and gender relations in society, and this often meant stopping taking the Pill. This article examines the particular reasons for the shift in contraceptive behaviour in West Germany and England. It analyses the changing attitudes of feminist activists toward the Pill and their influence on women's decisions about birth control.

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