Introduction to Sexual Liberation

Sexual liberation is a social movement created at the end of the 1960s for women to acquire
freedom and equality among society. The movement first appeared in the United States and then
became bigger world wild. However, the term sexual revolution hasnt first appeared while
the movement took place. Since the 1920s at least, the word was beginning to gain importance
among the society through literature by authors Ernest Hemingway, Edna Saint Vincent Millay
and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Author James Thurber and E.B White, both Americans author have
stated in their book Is Sex Necessary? The sexual revolution began with Mans discovery that
he was not attractive to Woman, as such. [] The result was that Man found it necessary to
develop attractive personal traits to offset his dull appearance. (1) Page 73 Therefore, the true
movement began unconsciously when the society thought us to speak and act a certain way to
appear more attractive to certain people. However, the sexual liberation whether it really started
in 1960s or 1920s in the United States, what happened in other countries such as Canada? How
did it affect our society?

Womens Sexuality before Sexual Revolution

We often say that womens sexuality was controlled by the state or the church or religious laws
before the revolution. I believe it is important to understand how womens sexuality was before
the sexual freedom in order to understand how the movement affected, improved and was
beneficial to us. Although young women in our Canadian society were taught to remain pure
until marriage, it was, on the other hand acceptable for a man to experience sexuality prior
marriage. However, most women born in early 20th century have confirmed that their ignorance
regarding their sexuality throughout their marriage showed and affected them in some ways.
Leonora Eyles quotes: I could put up with anything but the doing bed side of it , and Marie
Stopes quotes: I had been brought up in profound and beautiful ignorance of sex. ( Sex Before
the Sexual Revolution. P 66 ) Although those statements are experience by British personalities,
it doesnt affect the fact that the society of then wanted women to remain ignorant about sex.
When it comes to Canada, Canadian women were in general disadvantaged when it comes to
own their body. First of, their bodies were considered engines of population growth and thus
as good as the property of the state. (9.17 The Sexual Revolution) Parents wanted their

daughter to remain ignorant and innocent. Therefore, purity was seen as highly attractive for both
women and men. However, men had the right to be aware of what sexuality was and to
experience sex before marriage. They were somehow seen as sexual educators ( P. 82 The
Sexual Revolution), and women were the finale experimentation.

Religion amongst our Society

Religion has always been part of Canadas identity and laws were made on behalf of religious

mentality and behaviour. It has always put Men first and Women last. Laws were made to satisfy

men. For instance, once a woman was married to her husband, she automatically had to

take her husbands name. It was a way for women to be owned by her spouse and to take away

her youth identity. By this fact, women were pleading allegiance to their husband, but the

religion wasnt totally seeing men to plead allegiance to his wife. The wife had to be there for

her husband through thick and thin. However, if a man cheats on his wife, therefore it is the

wife to blame, as she is supposed to keep her husband happy. It is her duty as a wife, and not the

opposite. However, in 1981, Quebec province passed a law, which states In marriage, both

spouses retain their respective names, and exercise their respective civil rights under those

names." Article 393 of the Civil Code of Quebec .

Religion has always been part of Canadas identity. Religion in Canada has always been about

men, and it has always been against women. In order to keep us safe, religious provinces had put

in place religious laws, made by men were created for men to own women. As for an example,

women were automatically named after their husbands family name once married to them.

(Quebec LAWs article) Therefore, they were either recognized as by their fathers name or by

their husbands family name, which always relies to a mans name. But how did religion affect

womens sexuality and how were women oppressed by religion? First off, both women and men

were somehow controlled by religion in Canada. In fact, religion consider sexuality to be a way

of imitating in the flesh the Creators generosity and fecundity ( 2335 Vatican archives laws )

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm. Thus, sex between

men and women wasnt an act of love, but an act of duty. Women had to reproduce, and if they

couldnt reproduce for any reasons, they were the one to be blame and not their husband. Religion,

also requires women and men to remain virgin until marriage, however, it is most likely required

for women to remain virgin.

However, feminists among our country were determined to change this mentality by de-

Christianization our society and to make us equal to men. At first, women were considered as

sexual object who should remain at home to take care of home. Why? The main reason is because

[] some kinds of work, activity, and behaviours more appropriate for them than others simply
because of their sex. ( Page 214, Sexing the Maple ) By going against those values, which most

of our society was used of, feminists have created and have opened opportunities to women to be

aware of the outside world. The professional world, in where, married women and mothers werent

fully aware.