Then along came a novel cultural invention that changed everything—reliable hormonal birth control pills, which received FDA approval in 1960. Within a few years, millions of women were taking the pill. In the United States, 98 percent of sexually active women have taken a hormonal contraceptive at some point in their lives, and 62 percent of reproductive-age women are currently on the pill. Comparable figures in Nordic countries such as Denmark, Sweden, and Finland hover in the low 40 percent range.
