1960s Historical Context

Second Wave Feminism

• This focused on the struggle for equal pay and equal rights at work. Issues such as abortion, domestic violence and child care were also concerns. 

• Women fought to gain rights over their own bodies.

• Also, protests at ‘Miss World’ and the objectification of women

The Sexual Revolution 

The Sexual Revolution (also known as a time of Sexual Liberation) was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behaviour related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships from the 1960s to the 1980s.

One suggested cause of the 1960s sexual revolution was the rise in availability of the birth control pill in 1960, which gave all women access to easy and reliable contraception.

Other data suggests the "revolution" was more directly influenced by the financial independence gained by many women who entered the workforce during and after World War II, making the revolution more about individual equality.

Sexual liberation included increased acceptance of sex outside of traditional heterosexual, monogamous relationships (primarily marriage).