By Keeva Stratton
On 11 May 1960, American Searle Pharmaceutical Corporation introduced the first oral contraceptive pill, Enovid, to the US market. Nine months later, it arrived in Australia. This month, we celebrate the Pill’s 50th anniversary…
While for most women today oral contraception is commonplace, for its time, the Pill represented a huge shift in power for women, allowing them to become active in their reproductive decision-making, and ultimately empowering them with them the choice of whether or not, or when, to become pregnant. It was a medical advancement and cultural revolution that would serve to forever change the place and position of women in society.
A Feminist Victory for Women
Not simply a significant medical milestone, the oral contraceptive pill represented an empowering shift towards female independence. It enabled women to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy and offered an unprecedented 99% success rate. It gave women reproductive rights over their bodies. Best of all, it was private – which, given the conservative nature of the time and the role of women in society, enabled women to make reproductive choices that were not subject to public scrutiny.
As was famously stated by one of the key feminist figures supporting the movement to reproductive freedom, “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her own body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether or not she will be a mother.” (Margaret Sanger, 1883 – 1966, American social reformer and Founder of the Birth Control Movement.)
In the early 1950s, Margaret Sanger introduced the reproductive physiologist and leader in hormone research, Gregory Pincus, to suffragist Katherine McCormick. McCormick then provided financial support for developing a medicinal method of contraception, which was key to enabling and advancing the Pill’s development.
Today, the term feminism has been unfairly marred by negative connotations about ‘man-hating’ women – however, the anniversary of the contraceptive Pill provides a timely reminder of the important and very positive role key feminists played in supporting an important shift in women’s rights.
A Pill of Social and Political Significance
This seemingly tiny pill carried with it enormous political and social ramifications, meeting with protestation and condemnation from religious, moral and political groups. Following the introduction of the Pill that was widely considered to have enabled and propelled sexual revolution amongst women, social fear was generated and moral panic ensued.
With more women entering the workforce, now empowered with a choice into whether or not, or when, they wished to have children, a then overtly patriarchal and conservative society feared that women would chose careers over family and that the balance of society would be forever changed.
Thankfully, they were right. Women now have a great deal more choice than they did in 1960. Thanks largely to the contraceptive pill, we can now choose if or when we want to have children, and how many. We have a much greater presence in the workforce, and the need for gender equality (while there may be still a way to go yet) is now legally, politically and socially acknowledged.
It was designed to give women greater reproductive choice, but with the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1960, came many great things for women, and for these we should wholeheartedly celebrate its 50th birthday.
Interesting facts about the Pill:
In 1933, the first birth control clinic in Australia was set up in Sydney.
When the Pill was first made available in Australia, it was only accessible by married women.
The Pill was found to have many other medical benefits, and was used to control acne and excess hair.
About 100 million women worldwide use combination hormonal contraception.
COCs used properly has 99% success rate and is one of the most effective reversible forms of birth control available to women today.
Use of the Pill has the widest geographic distribution of any contraceptive method.