Contraception et avortement dans Marie-Claire (1955-1975): De la méthode des températures à la méthode Karman

Abstract

Marie-Claire, a popular culture women's magazine, is taken here as a case study to witness the gradual acceptance and diffusion of new ideas on contraception and abortion between 1955 and 1975, in France. Offering a traditional and Catholic reading of society, it unexpectedly dealt with the "serious issue of birth control" as early as 1956. Journalists'personal beliefs, social movements, and the issue of the economic survival of the magazine all contributed to the development of a strategy to legitimize change.