Writing a sexual revolution: new female journalism and the legalisation of contraception in Ireland

Abstract

Between 1935 and 1979 the importation and sale of contraception and the publication of information about birth control was illegal in Ireland. But in the 1960s as the state embraced free trade, established an impartial television service, and introduced free second level education, the nature of journalism changed – most particularly that of female journalism which, amid the international rise of feminism, moved away from a focus on housekeeping to issues of personal concern to women. A core issue for this new female journalism was birth control – an issue that was guaranteed to incur the wrath of those, both religious and lay, who viewed contraception as a moral evil and saw those who advocated its legalisation as a threat to the existing social and political order. This article examines the emergence of the new female journalism of late-1960s Ireland and assesses its contribution to the development of public discussion of birth control and its legalisation in 1979.