Lecture Notes

Between the 1960s and mid-1970s significant challenges to the ways that society viewed traditional codes of behavior took place within the United States. This movement is referred to as the sexual revolution or sexual liberation. This counterculture movement questioned previously established rules and regulations, including individual self-expression and autonomy, sexual activity outside the context of marriage, acceptance of homosexuality, and the rights to sexual education. Furthermore, the counterculture movement legitimized a woman's right to be sexual and questioned traditional, stereotypical gender roles for both men and women. It was during this period that abortion became legal and there was widespread accessibility of birth control. For the first time in history, women had personal control over their own reproduction. Although a significant amount of time has passed since the end of the Victorian era, and the counterculture's attempts to shift values and attitudes about sexuality, many traditional sexual beliefs and attitudes continue to influence us. These include the belief that men are naturally sexually aggressive and women are sexually passive, the sexual double standard, and the value placed on women being sexually inexperienced.