6 - Birth control, sex and abstinence

Summary

The dramatic reduction in average family size from the late nineteenth century through to the mid-twentieth century has dominated historical and demographic study of marital relationships during this period. At this time, not only did family sizes fall and the small family norm embed itself (permanently) in British culture, but so, too, did public discussion of contraception: birth control clinics were set up, the birth rate was discussed, sex and marriage manuals provided information about methods, technology changed (condoms altered, a range of female caps and diaphragms were produced), and general availability improved significantly. Nevertheless among social and demographic historians recent research has increasingly emphasised the continuation of ‘traditional’ methods of contraception alongside the newer appliances during the course of the fertility decline. Despite the increased use of ‘appliance’ or barrier methods, such as condoms and a range of female devices during the first half of the twentieth century, many also continued to turn to withdrawal, abortion and forms of abstinence from sexual intercourse. In previous publications we have examined the oral history evidence paying particular attention to withdrawal and to abortion. This chapter makes use of this unique set of personal accounts of marital intimacy to explore the relationship between birth control practices and abstinence. This involves considering the differences in attitudes among the interviewees to various methods of birth control and how contraceptive use was negotiated between couples in relation to ideas of love and their sexual relationship.