March 18, 2026
Women of a Promiscuous Age highlights a dark period for women in America. The Chamberlain-Kahn Act was enacted in 1918 to combat the spread of venereal disease among soldiers in World War I. The Act gave the government the right to detain and imprison women thought to be or suspected of being infected with a venereal disease. Public health officials, as well as police and military, were empowered to detain women and perform wildly unauthorized, invasive ‘inspections’ of women. Some were even sterilized without their permission. As many as 30,000 women are thought to have been ‘examined’ while more than 15,000 were actually incarcerated. This historical framework sets the backdrop for Women of a Promiscuous Age. We meet two women who end up at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women: Ruth, a single, independent woman on her way to work, and Stella, a 15-year-old victim of her father’s incestuous activities. Neither woman has done a single thing wrong. Yet they still get sent to the Colony to be ‘retrained’ and transformed from a degenerate into a productive part of society. You know, cured. Mrs. Baker, the superintendent, runs the Colony with an iron fist. Conform or suffer the consequences. Each woman has to find a way to survive.
On some level, it is amusing to consider what was thought to be promiscuous in the 1940s, but it’s also devastating to learn all the little behaviors lumped under the umbrella of that word. Yes, prostitutes were the targets of the Chamberlain-Kahn Act, but all sorts of independent-minded young women were caught up in the farm colonies. A woman like Ruth, who lives alone, is unmarried and works in a diner, is picked up as she’s walking to work. Because she’s unmarried and must, therefore, be promiscuous. And young girls like Stella, who ends up pregnant by her abuser, must also be promiscuous. And hundreds more just like them. Were the men punished? No, they were allowed to go on about their lives while being treated for actual venereal disease, while the accused women were sent to a colony. It’s enough to make your blood boil! This is a riveting read about how poorly women have been treated throughout American history.
Review by: Laura L.
Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart
Superintendent Dorothy Baker, convinced that she's transforming degenerate souls into upstanding members of society, oversees the women's medical treatment and "training" until they're deemed ready for parole. Sooner or later, everyone at the Colony learns to abide by Mrs. Baker's rule book or face the consequences--solitary confinement, grueling work assignments, and worse.