The Catholic Church and Married Women's Sexuality: Habitus Change in Late 20th Century Ireland

This article is based on data taken from a larger study of family change in Ireland in which mothers of intact families were interviewed in 1975 and revisited in 2000. It charts a process of change in the relationship between these women and the Roman Catholic Church, particularly in relation to the areas of sexuality and the transmission of church teaching. Through the analysis of depth interviews a process of transformation is discerned which is illustrative of Beck's (1992) conceptualisation of individualisation and reflexive modernity.