The story of women’s health in the 1960s is a transformative tale. It was the great success of second-wave feminism in the 1960s.
There were two main strands to the reproductive and sexual liberation of women during the 1960s. The development of the oral contraceptive pill, and the legalization of abortion. Abortion was legalized in the UK in 1967, and in the US in 1974 (1)(2). The pill was first available from the early part of the decade in both countries (3). It was the first time that control of pregnancy was solely in the hands of women. Before this point, the onerous was on men to handle the family planning, as condoms were the only reliable method of contraception. Once these options were open to women, it became a much more level playing field. It, of course, was not an easy, overnight change. It took a fair amount of political action for these changes to take place, and more so in the case of abortion.
The pill was the result of scientific advancement, although it was met with some backlash. It didn’t require as much political action for it to come into being as abortion did. And it certainly wasn’t up against as much continued opposition.
There were many conditions that had to be met to qualify for an abortion, and many were given to older women, already mothers. The pill too was only initially given to older, married women with some children. This illustrates how female sexuality was still only seen as acceptable within the bounds of a heterosexual, married relationship. It was only alright to prevent yourself from giving birth if your reasoning was to provide better for your existing children. To be the best mother you could was the only goal a woman should have. The so-called sexual revolution of the late twentieth century was almost a by-product of these changes. They did ease the stresses of some women, but they were almost exclusively well-off married women. They were by no means intended to liberate female sexuality, although in time they did.
Although legal abortions and the pill were not available to every woman initially, these changes went a long way towards liberating women. For the first time, women could safely get married without worrying about the endless cycle of pregnancy and birth that had plagued previous generations. Married women would no longer have abstention from sex as the only method of family planning. Although there is much debate on these subjects, I think it is safe to say that in this regard, second-wave feminists got their way. (Eventually).
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