This book uncovers the hidden history of gender relations, sexual attitudes, and contraceptive practices that accompanied the dramatic decline in family size in the twentieth century. Drawing upon vivid oral history accounts, Kate Fisher's ground-breaking analysis places men (rather than their wives) behind the drive for smaller families.

Kate Fisher held a Research Officership at the University of Cambridge and a Junior Research Fellowship at Wolfson College, Oxford, before being appointed as lecturer in the department of history at the University of Exeter in 2000.

• Introduction


• 1: The Maintenance of Ignorance


• 2: Deliberate Accidents and Casual Attempts to Avoid Pregnancy


• 3: The Survival of Traditional Methods of Birth Control


• 4: The Advantages of Traditional Methods of Birth Control


• 5: Gender Relations and Birth Control Practices


• Conclusion


• Epilogue


• Appendix


• Bibliography


• Index