A documentary following several women who spent their lives in Magdalene Laundries can be found here: Sex in a Cold Climate.
This documentary came out in 2003 and helped bring to light many of the
hidden atrocities which had occurred in the Magdalene asylums.
Since the formation of the Irish state in 1922, the Catholic Church has had an immense influence in shaping government policy and daily life. Even before Irish Independence, the Church held a tight control over Irish morality and was considered above criticism. Because the Irish schooling system was run by the Catholic Church, their influence was pervasive in shaping people's education. The documentary, Sex in a Cold Climate (2003), describes the enormous extent to which sexuality was tied to sin: “Sex outside marriage was not only objectionable, but like murder, a mortal sin. And women who fell under suspicion were condemned by both the community and church as 'fallen women.'” As a result, heavy emphasis on chastity was prominent when it came to the education of females. There were cited cases of extreme measures being used to keep women from sexual sin, such as nuns cutting the hair off of attractive girls, making them wear clothing that strapped down their breasts and informing them that sexual contact with a man was shameful.
http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/magdalene-laundries-ireland
Since the formation of the Irish state in 1922, the Catholic Church has had an immense influence in shaping government policy and daily life. Even before Irish Independence, the Church held a tight control over Irish morality and was considered above criticism. Because the Irish schooling system was run by the Catholic Church, their influence was pervasive in shaping people's education. The documentary, Sex in a Cold Climate (2003), describes the enormous extent to which sexuality was tied to sin: “Sex outside marriage was not only objectionable, but like murder, a mortal sin. And women who fell under suspicion were condemned by both the community and church as 'fallen women.'” As a result, heavy emphasis on chastity was prominent when it came to the education of females. There were cited cases of extreme measures being used to keep women from sexual sin, such as nuns cutting the hair off of attractive girls, making them wear clothing that strapped down their breasts and informing them that sexual contact with a man was shameful.
http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/magdalene-laundries-ireland
