In their own words: stories of the sexual and (non-) reproductive life of young Mexican women between the 1960s and 1970s

This article studies the experiences of a group of Mexican women, born between 1941 and 1955, who lived part of their puberty, adolescence, and youth between 1960 and 1970. It analyzes their opinions and experiences related to contraceptive methods, the dynamics of their first sexual intercourse, social and personal considerations about female virginity, and the influence of religions and feminism on these issues. Their testimonies are contextualized by the available literature on this period, much of which is also based on women’s testimony. The women’s experiences are also discussed in relation to cultural industry materials such as Mexican books, magazines, and films, many of which were referred to by the interviewees. Their life stories, obtained from in-depth interviews, reveal the negotiations that these women established with certain social meanings, beliefs, models, and obligations.