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False Conception: Female Sexuality in Victorian England

New Generation Thinker Fern Riddell discusses the case of women's rights activist Annie Besant and what this tells us about Victorian attitudes to sex and women's responsibility.

Annie Besant promoted contraceptive advice to the Victorian working classes. In 1877 she was prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act. New Generation Thinker Fern Riddell, from King's Collge London, outlines Besant's arguments and explores the ensuing debates about respectability and sexual behaviour in 19th-century England.

Producer: Philippa Ritchie

First broadcast in October 2013.

Available now

15 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 30 Oct 2013 22:45
  • Tue 26 Aug 2014 22:00

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