Has the Sexual Revolution Failed Women? With Louise Perry and Mary Harrington
History & Social Policy • 59m
The sexual revolution of the 1960s liberated women to enjoy sexual freedom and personal autonomy. That’s the conventional view but is it right? On March 14 writers Louise Perry and Mary Harrington come to Intelligence Squared to argue that the social changes generally seen as progressive over the last 50 years have largely benefited men and only a handful of elite women.
Perry, who has been described as the most influential young feminist in Britain, claims in her book The Case Against the Sexual Revolution that the contemporary world of rough sex, hook-up culture and ubiquitous porn is harming women and she calls for a radical challenge to what she sees as the failed liberal feminism of the 20th century. Harrington, in her new book Feminism Against Progress, argues that the belief in the progressive march of history is misguided and that new technology, far from liberating women, has trapped them into commodifying their bodies in the false belief that they are empowering themselves. And she warns of a dystopian future where poor women will become convenient sources of body parts to be harvested and wombs to be rented by the rich.
Perry and Harrington will be in conversation with Times columnist Alice Thomson. Join us for a discussion with two of the most exciting voices in contemporary feminism challenging the orthodoxies of our times.
Up Next in History & Social Policy
-
In Defence of the Unmodified Body wit...
Our bodies are never good enough. And the social pressures to change them are overwhelming. We strive to defy ageing, build our biceps and conceal our quirks. Surrounded by filtered photos and surgically-enhanced features, we feel we must contort our physical selves to accepted standards of beaut...
-
The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women...
Why are middle-aged women these days subject to so much rage and hatred? Why are they so often portrayed as entitled, selfish and morally inferior – frequently by people who see themselves as progressive and kind?
As writer Victoria Smith approached middle age, she made her peace with her saggi...
-
How The Global Food System Is Killing...
In 1950 less than 1% of British people were obese. Today that figure is 28%. We spend £3.9 billion each year on confectionery compared to £2.4 billion on fruit and vegetables. Diet-related disease is now the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the developed world.
How did we get t...
