A “Sexual Revolution” without Effective Contraception. Youth Sexuality, the Gender Gap and Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Russia (1970s – 1990s) ; Une 'révolution sexuelle' sans contraception efficace. Sexualité juvénile, asymétries de genre et évolutions des transitions vers l'âge adulte en Russie (années 1970 - années 1990)

peer reviewed ; In Russia, the mid-1960s – mid 1970s cohort came of age during perestroika and became sexually active earlier than the previous cohorts had; their heterosexual initiation was less connected to the expectation of marriage and motherhood. Do they constitute a new “sexual generation”, shaped by the liberalization of public discourses on sexuality? Previous literature points to contradictory answers. This article offers a refined analysis of the specificity of this cohort, based primarily on interviews with women and men born between the 1950s and the 1990s, and second-hand statistics. It shows that regarding the use of the most effective contraceptive methods, changes were still slow and limited in the 1990s. The sexual debuts of the perestroika and following years share important similarities with those of the “stagnation”, namely a gendered double standard and a high risk of unplanned pregnancy. However, these sexual initiations differ from the earlier ones in that the high probability of unplanned motherhood was no longer compensated by the predictability of pathways to adulthood. A similar lack of effective contraception thus takes on different meanings in the recollections of the “stagnation” and perestroika generations: while the former tends to display a selective nostalgia for simpler times (when love and spontaneity, rather than cautious planning, ruled), the latter produces more bitter narratives. It often experienced a painful gap between its primary socialization and its path to financial and residential independence. ; En Russie, la cohorte de femmes née entre le milieu des années 1960 et le milieu des années 1970 est entrée dans l'âge adulte pendant la perestroïka, et a commencé sa vie sexuelle plus tôt que les cohortes précédentes ; leur initiation (hétéro)sexuelle était moins connectée avec les attendus du mariage et de la maternité. Constituent-elles une nouvelle "génération sexuelle", façonnée par la libéralisation des discours publics sur la sexualité ? Les travaux existants ...