My OpenLearn Profile
- Personalise your OpenLearn profile
- Save your favourite content
- Get recognition for your learning
This page was published over five years ago. Please be aware that due to the passage of time, the information provided on this page may be out of date or otherwise inaccurate, and any views or opinions expressed may no longer be relevant. Some technical elements such as audio-visual and interactive media may no longer work. For more detail, see our Archive and Deletion Policy.
The history of the sterilisation of women with learning disabilities is highly controversial and remains, to a large extent, a secret. Preventing intellectually disabled women from having children was actively canvassed across the Western world in the early 20th century as a solution to the ‘problem of mental deficiency’.
In some countries, dark, forbidding institutions enforced sterilisations and actively prevented social and sexual activity among residents. But as we hear in this moving programme presented by Liz Tilley from The Open University, the reasons behind decisions to sterilise these women were complex and sometimes unexpected.
- Duration 20 mins
- Updated Thursday 16th September 2010
- Posted under Social Care & Social Work
Track 1: A Secret History of Sterilisation
A history told by the survivors of sterilisation.
© The Open University 2010
- Read a transcript of this track - you'll need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe's free Adobe Reader
- Download this track from iTunes U - you'll need Apple's free iTunes software
- See details of the Open University course this album comes from
- Discover more from The Open University and iTunesU at open.edu/itunes
Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Secret History of Sterilisation | A history told by the survivors of sterilisation. Play now A Secret History of Sterilisation |
About the author
Tags, Ratings and Social Bookmarking
Ratings
Other content you may like
free course icon
Level
History & The Arts
The history of female protest and suffrage in the UK
This free course focuses on one example of democratic protest: the campaign to extend the vote to women in the UK. In the course you'll be introduced to two key figures in the campaign, Ada Nield Chew and May Billinghurst, and you'll look at the ways in which the Women's Social and Political Union, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies and the First World War shaped and affected the battle for the vote.
article icon
History & The Arts
World-Changing Women: The Biographies
Delve through these courageous tales of women who changed the world and read the full story the history books left out.
activity icon
History & The Arts
How women changed the world
Who wrote the first novel over 1000 years ago? Who disguised herself as a man to explore the new world? Take this interactive world tour to discover the stories the history books left out.
activity icon
Languages
Daughters of Spain timeline
Meet some of Spain’s extraordinary women through the centuries in this interactive timeline.
article icon
Society, Politics & Law
Were most women overlooked from the Ascent of Woman?
The BBC/OU series The Ascent of Woman set out to restore women missing from the official histories. In a personal view on the series, Leeds University's Jessica Meyer asks if the series left too many tales untold.
article icon
TV, Radio & Events
The Secret History Of Our Streets - Deptford High Street
How did the "Oxford Street of South London" come to be one of the poorest shopping streets in modern London?
article icon
TV, Radio & Events
The Secret History Of Our Streets - Caledonian Road
Booth may have found the road depressing - but a staunch sense of community has kept the road alive.
article icon
TV, Radio & Events
The Secret History Of Our Streets - Arnold Circus
Britain's first council estate was closely planned - how is it faring in the 21st century?
article icon
TV, Radio & Events
The Secret History Of Our Streets - Reverdy Road
A street that didn't make it through the war unscathed - but with a home to a doctor that has survived since the 1880s.
©1999-2020. All rights reserved. The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302). The Open University is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to its secondary activity of credit broking.
Be the first to post a comment
We invite you to discuss this subject, but remember this is a public forum.
Please be polite, and avoid your passions turning into contempt for others. We may delete posts that are rude or aggressive, or edit posts containing contact details or links to other websites.