Knowra Sexual revolution Sexual revolution The sexual revolution was a major shift in sexual attitudes and practices, especially the liberalization of norms around sex, contraception, and relationships during the 1960s and 1970s.
Oral contraceptive pill : A hormonal medication taken to prevent pregnancy by suppressing ovulation or altering reproductive conditions. Its availability gave many women greater control over whether and when to become pregnant.
Griswold v. Connecticut : A 1965 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a state ban on contraceptive use by married couples. It established constitutional protection for married couples' access to contraception.
Sexual conservatism : A set of views favoring restraint in sexual behavior and the preservation of traditional sexual norms. It defended the moral rules that liberalizing movements sought to change.
Sexual ethics : The study and evaluation of moral questions involving sexuality, relationships, and sexual conduct. The revolution intensified disputes over consent, responsibility, and the moral limits of sexual freedom.
Kinsey Reports : Two mid-twentieth-century studies by Alfred Kinsey and colleagues documenting sexual behavior in the United States. Their findings challenged claims that nonmarital sexual behavior was rare.
Roe v. Wade : A 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing a constitutional right to abortion, later overturned in 2022. Its ruling made abortion rights a central legal and political consequence of changing sexual norms.
Christian right : A political movement in the United States that mobilizes conservative Christian views in public policy. Its growth brought opposition to abortion, sex education, and changing family norms into electoral politics.
Sex education : Instruction about human sexuality, including reproduction, relationships, health, and consent. Expanding public discussion of sexuality sharpened conflicts over what schools should teach.
Second-wave feminism : A feminist movement, especially active from the 1960s through the 1980s, addressing legal, social, and personal inequality. Its campaigns linked sexual freedom to bodily autonomy and gender equality.
No-fault divorce : A legal system allowing divorce without requiring proof of a spouse's wrongdoing. Its adoption in many jurisdictions reflected changing expectations about marriage and personal choice.
Show all 20