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Women and the Sexual Revolution

In giving her stamp of approval to the sexual revolution ("Has the Sexual Revolution Been Good for Women?," Review, March 24), author Ann Patchett apparently ignores the impact it has had on the country as a whole. For the past several decades we have seen a demeaning of courtship and marriage, indeed, a degradation of the whole dating scene. Fifty years ago, no nice girl would admit to having sex before marriage and most didn't indulge. Now, it seems as if every young woman is involved in a "relationship" and many of them flit from one to another. Then they wonder why they can't get a husband.

Families lack the stability they once had, and we have seen an increase in teenage suicide. Many of us can only wonder and fear if the American family has a future.

Shirley Martin

Vestavia Hills, Ala.

Mary Eberstadt engages in a discussion of whether women are happier as a result of the sexual revolution. Happiness was never the goal of that social movement. Freedom to pursue happiness as you see fit was the goal. That freedom might include delaying having children while you pursue a career, as I did. That freedom might also include choosing to have children later and choosing to stay home to raise them, as I did. At the ripe old age of 38 I was thrilled to focus on raising my children after a very satisfying couple of decades of working.

Happiness may or may not ensue. Perhaps it will come and go, even within the course of a single day. But the freedom to control some very basic conditions in your life, such as whether or not to be responsible for the well-being of children, cannot possibly be viewed as anything but progress. Happiness can't be granted as the result of legislation, but freedom certainly can.

Monica Merryman Simpson

Tampa, Fla.

I have nothing to say on the question of whether the sexual revolution has been good for women. However, a more interesting question is: Has the sexual revolution been good for children?

Timothy Madden

Lemont, Ill.

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