Big Think Has the sexual revolution backfired? | Louise Perry
Oct 14, 2025
Louise Perry, a journalist and author of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, dives into the complexities of modern sexual culture. She questions the benefits of the sexual revolution, arguing that sex-positive feminism often normalizes abusive practices. Perry highlights how contemporary social incentives encourage women to adopt male-style casual sex, often leading to negative outcomes. She emphasizes the significant biological and psychological differences between men and women, underscoring their implications in today's society.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Questioning The Sexual Revolution
- Louise Perry questioned the unambiguously positive story of the sexual revolution and explored middle paths between permissiveness and repression.
- She warns that sex-positive ideology can excuse abusive sexual practices and justify power imbalances.
The Pill Shifted Social Incentives
- The contraceptive pill and domestic technology enabled women to live more like men, including in sexual behavior.
- Perry argues social incentives now pull women's sexual norms toward a male curve, increasing casual sex and experimentation.
Sex 'Like A Man' As A Rite Of Passage
- Perry describes a culture where having sex 'like a man' becomes aspirational and treated as a rite of passage for women.
- She contends this imitation harms many young women who later feel dissatisfaction and distress.
