Extended Project Ideas

08/06/13

Mind-map of extended project subject ideas: 

Initial planning...

12/06/13

First idea for title:

i.telegraph.co.uk

The historical significance of the contraceptive pill.

My initial research into the title above showed that I had to narrow the focus of my project as the invention of the pill had historical significance in multiple different fields, including medicine and women's rights. I wanted my project to reflect my own interests in history, particularly the liberation of women in the 20th and 21st century and therefore chose to change the title to:

The historical significance of the invention of the contraception pill on women's rights. 

I've chosen to look at the historical significance of the invention of the Pill in the UK, focusing on its initial effect as well as its influence on the freedom of women, their economic participation, and its impact on the family. 

"Birth control is the first important step woman must take toward the goal of her freedom. It is the first step she must take to be man’s equal. It is the first step they must both take toward human emancipation."

Margaret Sanger

"Morality and Birth Control," Birth Control Review, Feb-Mar, 1918

Initial planning...

14/06/13

First ideas on research and development of project: 

amazon.co.uk

I intend to carry out research using a variety of methods, including the use of books, such as 'On the Pill' by Elizabeth Siegel Watkins, and newspapers and magazines, in particular the Time Magazine's 1967 issue on 'The Pill.' (see link below)

http://topics.time.com/birth-control/

I also want to make use of the internet to access websites and materials like the BBC and Sandra Fluke's address to Congress. To develop the project further I would  like to take advantage of the fact that I live in London to interview individuals if possible, including  Dr Lara Marks, a trained historian of medicine who wrote the book "Sexual Chemistry: A history of the contraceptive pill" and Silvia Pezzini who published "The Effect of Women's Rights on Women's Welfare: evidence from a natural experiment" in the March 2005 Economic Journal. I want to incorporate oral histories and plan to approach Dr Jonathan Miller, Dr Rachel Miller and the Marie Stokes Clinic.

I also plan to study government statistics of family size and age at birth of first child on websites such as:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html

http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/

Refining title further...

17/07/13

I finally settled on the title:

The Freedom Drug: how did the widespread availability of the Pill empower women's choices in the UK? 

I decided on this for a variety of reasons:

• "widespread availability"- the report is a study of the effects of the Pill in the UK, studying the period from 1960 onwards where the Pill experiences unprecedented popularity. The role of the NHS is also important in providing free contraception from 1974 onwards....
• "empower"- by choosing the word "empower" I was making the distinction that the Pill enabled women to have increased choices
• "choices"- choices refers to the right or power to undertake new opportunities that the Pill enabled. 
• "UK"- the effects of the Pill will be limited to the UK as I found out that I touched on the subject of the Pill in my A2 History COurse in America. By restricting the geographic location I ensure that there is no crossover.