Male responsibility

Contraception for men has existed for centuries. The condom is one method of male contraception; another is withdrawal, or coitus interruptus, sometimes referred to as 'being careful'. Since at least the 1800s withdrawal has been condemned by the Church and blamed by medical authorities for causing an array of problems, from 'nervous disorder' and 'sexual enfeeblement' to heart attacks and ulcers of the uterus. Nevertheless, millions of couples have continued to practise withdrawal.

During this century the responsibility for contraception has gradually shifted from men to women, first with diaphragms and douches, then with the Pill and IUDs. Many women are now realising that they are taking all the risks and inconveniences caused by contraceptives, and they want men to become more involved again. This partly explains why there has been a shift back to using condoms, and why women are impatient for researchers to perfect the 'male pill'.

There is nothing safe about sex. There never will be.
Norman Mailer, US author, Intemational Herald Tribune, 1992.

Fiskin condom pack from around the 1940s. Powerhouse Museum collection.

Boxes of Super Checker condoms from the 1960s, with a tear-off tab that shy customers could hand to the chemist. Powerhouse Museum collection.

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