We live in a man's world, and if that has changed somewhat, we still live in a male-centric world to which certain long-standing rules and standards are far more favorable to males as opposed to females. One of the most important aspects of humanity, is having control and self-direction of one's own body to which when it comes to sexual intercourse a man need never worry that he, himself, can become impregnated, whereas a woman without any sort of birth control or access to it, recognizes that anytime she engages in coitus she may become impregnated, whether that is or is not a desirable outcome for her or the couple.
While there has always been some form of birth control that has been utilized or performed by one partner or the other throughout history, their reliability has almost always been put into question. Additionally, despite the fact that dependable cervical caps as well as diaphragms had been created in the 1920s, because of the puritanical and religious background of America, laws, and the reluctance of the physicians to insert/implement these birth control devices, woman in America, were still significantly underserved in regards to being able to control their own body in regards to procreation.
The modern day birth control pill was theorized, developed, and ultimately created in the 1950s. In 1957 the FDA approved the pill for severe menstrual disorders, and in 1960, it was approved for contraceptive usage. The primary advantages of the birth control pill for woman were that its effectiveness was nearly 100%, it didn’t necessitate a physician's appointment to insert a birth control device, it was relatively inexpensive, and it also allowed the woman to control her ability to conceive without having to notify anyone. This meant in the 1960s, many women for the first time, felt as if they were truly in command of their reproductive system, meaning that they now could enjoy sex without having to worry about the possible consequence of becoming pregnant.
If the birth control pill, remained a woman's little secret, and completely unknowable to man, its unintended consequences, may well have been mitigated, but point of fact, once men became aware that woman could now have sex and not get pregnant, it produced a fundamental shift in the sexual relations between man and woman. While, on the surface, it appeared that the reliable birth control pill, freed up forever, the woman's fear of unintended pregnancy, which it did; the other shoe dropped, because sexual relations morphed into more of a free-for-all, pleasure seeking escapade, where men now too recognized that they could have as much sex as they wanted, with as many partners as they wanted, because they need not worry about impregnating anyone.
So while on the one hand, woman have escaped for the most part from "shotgun" weddings, as well as becoming mothers at an early or unwanted age, or having more children than they desire, along with having the ability to enjoy sex without having to unnecessarily worry about become impregnated; they have lost from many men their commitment to a long-term and meaningful relationship. In an era, when it would appear that everything is allowed before marriage or a true meeting of the minds, it isn't surprising that so many men will simply walk away from anything that even hints of responsibility.