Are children the losers of the sexual revolution? | Richard Reeves, Judith Butler, & more

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About the episode: Our biggest thinkers on marriage, family, and the sexual revolution.

How has the sexual revolution reshaped our understanding of relationships and family? After the sexual liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s began upending traditional norms, Americans started seeing greater personal freedoms and a more flexible understanding of relationships, sexuality, and family roles.

One lasting impact is that marriage is now based primarily on choice rather than societal expectations, and men are no longer always expected to be the head of the household.

But despite the clear benefits of increased egalitarianism and personal liberty, the sexual revolution arguably came with trade-offs. As journalist Louise Perry notes, one example is that far more children are being raised in broken homes today than they were decades ago, even though nearly every conceivable metric shows that it’s better for children to have married parents.

In this Big Think video, we explore the sexual revolution and its impacts on romantic relationships, families, and children in the modern world.

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