May 18, 2023

A Conversation with Mary Eberstadt

Despite advancements of post-1960s feminism and widespread access to contraception, Western women are decidedly less happy.

Event Summary

On May 18, Mary Eberstadt began the conversation by articulating that despite advancements of post-1960s feminism and widespread access to contraception, Western women are decidedly less happy. She and AEI’s Robert Doar discussed how secular faith, the lack of church leadership, and education have contributed to this problem. She invited her audience to rethink the consequences of sexual liberation, showing how contraception is supposed to lead to happiness, freedom, fewer abortions, and stronger marriages. In reality, she argued, it has led to the opposite.

According to Ms. Eberstadt, identity politics has arisen as people have lost the identity formation once provided by Western Christianity and family. She spoke of hopeful signs of the future, including the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and the willingness of young people to take a second look at the norms born from the sexual liberation movement. Finally, Ms. Eberstadt claimed that the suffering individuals today face has not been given the right name. The problem is not in abstractions, she said, but that people are living in ways in which it is harder to find and keep love.

—Renée Waller

Event Description

Last year, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, dealing a symbolic blow to the sexual revolution ongoing since the 1960s. Following the Court’s decision, Mary Eberstadt decided to continue her 2013 book, Adam and Eve After the Pill (Ignatius Press), in which she revealed the widespread stigmatization of traditional sexual morality following the embrace of contraception. In Adam and Eve After the Pill, Revisited (Ignatius Press, 2023), Ms. Eberstadt empirically investigates the sexual revolution’s consequences for men, women, and children across the spheres of society, politics, and Christianity.

Join Ms. Eberstadt and AEI President Robert Doar for an unflinching conversation about the sexual revolution and its consequences.

If you are unable to attend, we welcome you to watch the event live on this page. After the event concludes, a full video will be posted within 24 hours.