The main premise of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution is that while freedom was gained for women in the sexual revolution, many things were lost that were good. Perry digs into this heavily in the first chapter which looks at how liberal feminism tries to say that sex is no more meaningful than any other act and thus shouldn't be treated with the taboo that former cultural norms have treated it. Specifically, that women bore the brunt of sexual taboos, with their social status decreasing as they had more partners while men had a status increase. While some of the taboo has been lifted, this status correlation still remains1.
But Perry shows the lie in liberal feminism as she cites numerous scenarios throughout the book. Even liberal feminists would be mad if someone was asked to have sex as part of a path towards upward mobility in a job2 yet we don't worry if a junior employee is asked to grab the snacks by a senior. Similarly, most liberal feminists would be angered if their partner had sex with an old friend, but wouldn't be all that worried if they bumped into each other and had a casual coffee3.
I have to agree with Perry here and her title in chapter 1, sex needs to be taken seriously. It's not devoid of meaning, especially to most women and we need to stop treating at is just another physical act that bears no more or less weight than other physical acts.
At the same time, we should be reducing the old religious sexual taboos placed on women. The world is already built for the success of men in so many subtle and not subtle ways. We should be looking for equity for all.
To that end I really like this question she asks.
Instead of asking 'How can we all be free?', we must ask instead 'How can we best promote the wellbeing of both men and women, given that these two groups have different sets of interests, which are sometimes in tension?' - The Case Against the Sexual Revolution Pg 10
It mirrors the thoughts of Richard V Reeves in Of Boys and Men.
We can hold two thoughts in our head at once. We can be passionate about women's rights and compassionate toward vulnerable boys and men. - Of Boys and Men Pg X
Looking at Reeves book, we need to do something to help disenfranchised men, and we need to make sure that women are safe and aren't continually held back by a world that helps men succeed. We need to be willing to hold both of those thoughts in our mind. We need to be willing to build coalitions with those that don't agree on every point we like4 so that we can all live in a better world.
