NEED TO KNOW
- South Australian author Victoria Purman has released a new novel, The Marriage Trap, set in 1960s Adelaide and inspired by the arrival of the contraceptive pill in Australia.
- The book explores the barriers women faced in accessing contraception, including restrictions that limited the pill to married women only.
- Victoria researched the novel using firsthand accounts from women who lived through the era.
- She hopes the book serves as a reminder of the fights women won — and why they’re worth protecting.
Sometimes it’s easy to go through life forgetting all about the sacrifices previous generations made in order for us to be where we are today.
Such is the case with women’s health, in particular our fight for contraception.
But South Australian author Victoria Purman is on a mission to ensure these stories are not left in the past.
Her new 1960s-set novel honours the sisterhood that fought so hard for change.
The Marriage Trap follows two sisters in Adelaide as the world around them shifts.
The book was especially inspired by the arrival of the pill and how it “changed women’s lives,” Victoria says.
“Given that in parts of the world things are winding back for women, regarding contraception and abortion, it made me really think we have got to make sure as many people as possible know about the history of this so we can continue to fight for it,” she tells New Idea.
When the pill arrived in Australia in 1961, it wasn’t easily accessible to everyone.
It was only for married women, and for the purposes of family planning.
These constraints were put in place, Victoria says, because lawmakers thought the pill would lead to “everyone becoming promiscuous”.
It was also expensive, with a 27.5 per cent luxury tax on it.
When it came time to write The Marriage Trap, Victoria sought firsthand accounts, as she does with all her books.
“I put a call out on Facebook and asked my readers if they remember getting the pill and what they knew about sex education. Dozens of people responded in really generous ways with their memories,” she reveals.
Many who were alive in the ’60s confessed they didn’t even know how babies were conceived.
“Sex was so secretive and seen as so dirty. Some women told me they went on the pill but hid it in their handbag so their mum wouldn’t know!” Victoria shares. “I love those firsthand experiences and writing the stories of ordinary Australian women.
“I like to show that you don’t have to be famous or rich to have a fantastic story worth telling – and worth reminding the next generation about.”
Newspaper archives also helped with her research. Victoria recalls reading many articles about married couples who were deeply in love but never had sex because “they knew it would mean pregnancy”.
Conversations Victoria had with younger colleagues proved equally enlightening, particularly when she mentioned that women once had to quit work upon marrying.
“The young women looked at me like I’d gone mad! Those battles that were won have sort of faded from our consciousness. It’s just so far outside their experience,” she says.
Who is Victoria Purman?
Victoria Purman is one of Australia’s most beloved storytellers, with a string of bestselling novels to her name both here and overseas.
Her recent release The Radio Hour was a hit, following in the footsteps of her many popular books, including The Three Miss Allens, which also made waves as a USA Today bestseller.
As a familiar face on the literary scene, Victoria is a regular at writers’ festivals and is passionate about supporting emerging authors through mentoring and workshops.
She has also lent her expertise as a judge for major awards, including the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature and the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize.
