HISTORY OF SEX: Part 7

And now on to what has been called the most revolutionary invention of the 20th century....The Pill.

Unlike the condom, the Pill is a very modern invention.  The science behind it began to develop in the 1930s and in 1957, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for helping with menstruation problems.  After more research and test runs, the FDA approved the Pill for contraception.

The cultural impact of the Pill was huge.  It was the first time women had so much control over their reproduction.  Lawmakers had a feeling it would shake things up...The Pill was not available to all married women until 1965 and unmarried women until 1972!

Time Magazine put the Pill on its cover in 1967 and it opened up the issue of pre-martital sex in developed nations.  The Pill changed the nature of sex within a marriage if reproduction wasn't the main objective.  Obviously, religious figures did NOT like this one bit and railed against the Pill as a tool of the devil and the Roman Catholic Church issued a papal encyclical against it.

The Pill also allowed women, especially married women, to enjoy an active sex life and not have children, which allowed them to progress in careers, education, sports, pretty much everything.  It gave women a lot more control over family planning and increased the number of women in high-level jobs.  Traditional gender roles were good and shaken up by this tiny little pill.

Loretta Lynn, take us out...