In the 1950s, Czechoslovak sexologists endeavored to investigate a phenomenon whose significance and meaning was eluded by science – the female orgasm.
Czech gay males and lesbians were already advocating for their rights in the First Republic (1918–1938). In 1961, the criminalization of homosexuality was abolished. Following this milestone, however, the issue remained a grey area within the context of progressive European legislation and was never discussed.
In the early women's rights movement, Czechoslovakia didn't fare so badly at all. Women were allowed to vote from 1920. In the 1950s, gender equality was even promoted by the socialist regime. But a “top-down” approach to women's emancipation had unintended consequences, including a decline in the birth rate, which the state decided to reverse.
In the 1970s, following the example of American scientists Masters and Johnson, Czech psychologist Stanislav Kratochvíl introduced sexual therapy at his workplace – the psychiatric hospital in Kroměříž. He has had tremendous success with his therapy and has helped hundreds of couples from all over Czechoslovakia.
