SEXUAL REVOLUTION

 

"The importance and impact of this little fun drug cannot be overstated...it was a fundamental disruption to the evolutionary imperative" COLTTAINE.
"In 1960 to sleep with a girl you were expected to marry her, in 1970 to be a virgin upon leaving high school was considered taboo." Whatifalthist 

Theoretically the birth control pill enabled humans to indulge in the basic drive for sex without the biological cost of reproduction. It set off a chain of events that completely changed society.

Sex before marriage became socially acceptable. Men no longer had to sign a lifetime contract in order to have sex. The marriage rate plummets as well as the value of sex to men.

Women could now have sex with traditionally unsuitable men. Previously society would have strongly encouraged her to marry a man with good long term prospects (such as the trainee doctor). Now she could have sex with the good looking but unemployed local criminal.

Birth control was not 100% effective. Coupled with the exploding rates of sexual promiscuity often with men who were poor long term choices. It led to an increase in single mothers.

Women regressed back to their primeval mate selection. Choosing men based on prehistoric survival criteria. Men who were physically and socially dominant even if he was a criminal. Women were increasingly choosing to have sex with the top 20% of men as was the norm in prehistoric times. It wasn't the "free love" utopia that men were expecting.

Abortion was legalised to combat the rates of single motherhood. Effectively introducing one form of birth control to combat the failure of another. However this had little effect as it seems women had been getting abortions of the black market variety anyway. 

The marriage rate decreases even further. Men were no longer socially forced to marry women because of an "accidental pregnancy" because of legalised abortion.

More women enter the workforce. When a woman out earns her husband the odds of her divorcing him increase. 

Crime increases due to less stable family units, there is a slight decrease in crime during the 1990s. Some believe a reduction in unwanted children due to legal abortion. 

The divorce rate increases. It was easier to get divorced due to changes in the law. It's obvious that trying to revert back to a 1950s style marriage in middle age after experiencing a decade and a half of "free love" wasn't going to work.

Average age of marriage and first child increases. Birth rate drops below replacement rate for many western countries which will eventually lead to their collapse.