The Impact of the Birth Control Pill on Society’s Cultural Structures
The Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the birth control pill in 1960 was one of the most significant events of the century, separating sex from reproduction and allowing women to have control over their bodies. Giving women control over reproduction meant giving them control over their lives, allowing them to achieve their full potential. “The Pill,” as it has come to be known, has “allowed women to become independent decision makers rather than captives of their biology (Pogrebin, 1). This small pill has been a tool in giving women the power to determine if and when they were physically, emotionally, and financially ready for the huge responsibility of giving birth to and raising a child. In doing so, The Pill has changed the role of women in society. The impact of the pill may be best described by author Jonathan Eig in his book, The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution” when he states “the pill became widely known as The Pill, perhaps the only product in American history so powerful that it needed no name” (Eig, 303).
Since its approval in 1960, the pill has been popular yet controversial. By 1962, 1.2 million American women were taking the pill, and by 1964 this number had risen to 6.5 million (May, 2). Those opposed to the pill argued that it would encourage promiscuity, threaten marriage and the family, and damage the morals of the country. Supporters saw the pill not only as a means of empowering women, but as a means of alleviating geopolitical concerns related to overpopulation, poverty, and even the threat of communism. Despite the very strong and varied views regarded the pill, it is evident that while controversial, it has been overwhelmingly transformative to our society and culture. As a matter of fact, in 1993 The Economist actually named the pill one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World (May, 167).
In understanding the impact of the pill on society and its’ cultural structures, it is essential to understand society, and the place of women in it, prior to 1960. Following World War II, men returned home to the U.S. and their jobs. In their absence, women had held many of these jobs, temporarily changing their role in society, due to the labor shortage caused by the war. However, upon the return of the men, women were expected to return to their traditional domestic roles, whether they wanted to or not. American society in the post-war 1950’s was focused on the family, and the expectation for the role of women in the family was very clear. “The Cold War placed an added emphasis on family unity as a defense against communism, making the role of women as wives and mothers crucial to the preservation of the United States and its democratic ideals” (Catalano, 45).
The 1950s image of the “picture perfect” family was idealized and projected by the media. This family included the “bread-winning” father who was the head of the household, the “happy housewife” who aspired to be no more than the perfect wife and mother, and as many children as the mother’s fertility allowed her to have. Television shows from the 1950’s portrayed idealized gender roles that came to set the standards for the American family, even if these standards were not so ideal or realistic. In order to achieve these standards, society pressured women to focus their sights on marriage. A woman’s role in life was to be married and raise children, to start as early as possible, and to find happiness and satisfaction as the family caregiver. “If she had desires of her own – be they sexual, professional, or personal – she was expected to hold them in check, to wipe them out the same way she wiped germs from the kitchen counter or stains from the collars of her husband’s white dress shirts” (Eig, 19). Getting married right out of high school or during college was the norm, and the culture promoted the fact that a husband was much more important than a college degree.
In the 1950s, contraceptive options were limited. The diaphragm was the most effective method of birth control, but could only be obtained through a physician, which discouraged many women. The condom, the next most effective method, could be purchased from a pharmacy, but required the cooperation of the male partner (Anolak and Maogoto, 5). Both methods required that women depend on men to prevent pregnancy, and there was still a societal stigma associated with the use of birth control. With such limited and involved access to effective contraception, and society’s focus on family, the Baby Boom began and families grew. In 1950, 3.6 million babies were born in America, as compared to 2.6 million a decade earlier. The median age for marriage in the 1950s was 20.1, and the median age for a woman to have her first child was 21.4 (Eig, 125).
Despite the fact that many women were becoming bored with child care and household chores, the media continued to idealize domestic life and the role of the “happy homemaker.” In addition to the married mothers who came to fear another pregnancy, sexually active unmarried women lived with constant anxiety. Single motherhood was generally unacceptable, abortion was illegal, and “underground” abortions were known to be dangerous or difficult to get. Fear of pregnancy was an inescapable condition of sex for young women in the 1950s. “Many women felt trapped – by their bodies, by their career options, by their contraceptive options, by pregnancy, and perhaps most of all by their limited choices” (Eig, 20). For these reasons, and others, “many feminists identify the 1950s as the pinnacle of gender inequality” (Catalano, 45). Although by the end of the 1950s, U.S. society was “becoming less and less troubled by the moral implications of contraception, the problem was that existing methods of birth control offered neither high efficacy nor convenience with women largely having to make do with what was available” (Anolak and Maogoto, 5).
Women’s rights leaders demanded new approaches to sex, marriage, and reproduction. Feminists Martha Sanger and Katherine McCormack, considered to be “the mothers of the pill,” realized that “women could not achieve full equality unless they had control over their reproductive lives” (May, 14). They began their careers as women’s rights activists early in the 20th century, and saw contraception as a means to the emancipation of women and political change in the U.S. To achieve their vision of female control of contraception, they secured the assistance of scientist Gregory Pincus, and physician John Rock to actually develop the pill. “Their dream of a contraceptive entirely controlled by women began at this time (the early 20th century) and came to fruition in 1960” (May, 17). The pill was the result of the passionate efforts of these four individuals.
The 1960s were a period when long held values and norms of behavior began to be challenged, and to break down. The feminist movement, along with the civil rights and anti-war movements gained momentum. “All of these social movements of the 1960s were about liberation, about challenging authority, about questioning convention” (Eig, 319). Women were beginning to challenge the limitations of their domestic roles, wanting more for themselves, and the 1960 FDA approval of the birth control pill empowered them to do so. Allowing women to take control of their reproduction was the first step in allowing them to take control of other aspects of their lives. The changes to follow exemplify the domino effect that change can have. Although initially available only to married women, the availability of the pill was extended to all women in the U.S. by 1967. Although women had gained the right to vote in 1920 following the “first wave” of feminism, it was the “second wave” of feminism, beginning in the early 1960s, during which women fought for further equality with men. The pill was a powerful tool in this fight.
The cultural changes occurring in the 1960’s were changing the role of women in society. The pill contributed to these changes, freeing women from unwanted pregnancy, and giving them many new options, and freedom, in their personal lives. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited employment and educational discrimination, making it possible for women to enter professional careers, the pill was also a major factor in allowing them to do so. Women could delay having children, and plan the timing of additional children, so as to pursue a career or degree which was not possible without the pill.
Controversial Things About the Pill:
While some saw the pill as breaking down walls for the betterment of women and society, the pill’s opponents saw it as excessive and posing many potential risks. The pill was equalizing, but also polarizing, putting people’s beliefs and opinions about gender, tradition, and liberation out on the table for debate. Controversy arose concerning the fact that women were now challenging their traditional roles, as well as the fact that values and traditions that had long existed were suddenly being questioned and undermined.
Because the popularity of the pill peaked at the same time that the second wave of feminism was beginning, it became a symbol of the “sexual revolution”, and a significant step in the process of women’s “liberation” (Anolak and Maogoto, 10). The pill encouraged the loosening of sxual attitudes and behaviors in the 1960s, but sexual freedom was just one aspect of women’s liberation. As evident within the timeline of the pill and the “sexual revolution”, women were challenging their roles in a variety of arenas aside from the bedroom. This threatened the status quo of society’s cultural structures. Armed with an extremely reliable contraceptive, birth control was now in the hands of the woman. Her control, choices, and decisions reigned, and there was no longer the need for the knowledge or consent of others in terms of preventing pregnancy. This power allowed women to realize that they could now begin to “call the shots” in terms of sex, family, household and career. As liberating and empowering as this was for women who had had to be submissive for so long, it became a concern for many within society. CNN emphasized this battle of values by stating, “Critics warned that the pill would spawn generations of loose, immoral women; what it spawned was generations of empowered women who are better equipped to make rational choices about their lives.”
The double standard for women became a lot more relaxed, but sex was now cost-free for men as well, lowering accidental fatherhood and unwanted marriage. However, controversy lied in the lowered caution and discernment when choosing a sexual partner now at play (CNN article). Critics believed relationships would have less commitment, trust, and loyalty. Although the pill was seen as an enabler by all, to some it enabled positive outcomes for society, and to others it enabled negative consequences.