Women’s ability to get pregnant and give birth lead to the idea of virginity. In the ancient world, virginity for a woman became an ideal in many different societies. However, some societies such as ancient Israel, created stringent policies relating to women and virginity, whereas other societies like ancient Egypt, did not place a value on virginity. Virginity became important because it was a way for a woman’s family to show her husband that she had not been taken: “Virginity became proof that a girl had been “protected” from invasion, and the role of protector was increasingly assigned to her male family members and guardians” (Morris 45). A virgin daughter could bring wealth to her family or require a large dowry, which caused worry …show more content…
There is still an importance placed on virginity; however, it is beginning to decline in within some cultures, today. I have found that virginity has begun to seem like an unrealistic ideal and an unimportant one as well. But, many religious groups such as Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and Mormons believe in the significance of virginity and condemn pre-marital sex. In addition, losing one’s virginity can also be seen as a rite of passage into adulthood. In societies that were subject to attacks, a woman’s virginity became a way for her family to prove she had not been invaded. This can still be seen today in war-torn countries. Women who are raped sometimes commit suicide because they believe they have brought shame to themselves, their families, and their communities. Honor killings also take place because a victim has disgraced or shamed his or her family. As I wrote this paper, I kept thinking about how virginity was discovered and who discovered it. Was it an idea that was always known and then an importance was placed on it as people gained the ability to take it away from a community or was virginity discovered during the course of evolution? The idea of virginity has changed based on the time period, the place, and the culture surrounding
It examines questions about cultural practices and why some/all people accept them and whom that might be benefitting or harming (ibid). In other words, it examines the behaviors, consequences, social factors, and above all the power structures in play. In Althaus’ article, she postulates that one reason that female circumcision is used is to increase the sexual pleasure of men (Althaus, 131). Here we can see the strong presence of a patriarchal society. Recall the purpose here is not to actually criticize this practice but rather seek the underlying interests or motivations of implementing it. The strong presence of a patriarchy indicates that women in a way are indeed used as means to serve the interests of men both sexually and also by providing a child. This brings about the winners (men) and the oppressed
It is undeniably true that an equality of the sexes exists today that was not even imagined in the medieval era. However, this rise in respect for women does not guarantee that all of the prejudices and stereotypes from preceding centuries have fallen by the wayside; on the contrary, most of the same archetypes are alive and well, even if modified to suit a new world. From the unattainably perfect virgin to the sexually insatiable temptress, these images appear throughout modern culture-but the disturbing nature of their existence is made far worse by the complacency with which women accept and further them. In many places, control of the image of women has passed into their own hands, yet broad generalizations and negative suggestions continue to fill daily life.
According to Plutarch, before getting married, women would cut their hair short, dress up in men attire and lay on a mattress in a dark room. A man would then come in, choose his wife randomly and engage in sexual intercourse with her. From this point on, the pair was a married couple and future meetings with each other were to be done in secret until pregnancy. Xenophon suggests being without one another for such long periods of time built up excitement and sexual tension between the two so that when they finally did meet, the offspring conceived from such passionate intercourse would be stronger and healthier as a result. Another display of status among women was the importance of reproduction as evidenced by how females dying in childbirth were buried with a tombstone and an inscription of their name; an honour which is only extended to
Gozalez-Lopez interviews people about their personal stories and how they dealth with situations similar to such. One of the people she interviews, Diego, talks about what he had to do to save his girlfriend from public shame because she had sex with him. “I married her because of honor. I had to come out and face the bull, to protect her image and her name” (Gonzalez-Lopez, 98). If a woman looses her virginity before marriage she can be seen as a whore, slut, or not properly raised. Many women are forced to marry men that they would never consider husband mate...
We are all familiar with the creation story in Genesis of the Bible—a rib was taken from Adam (man) in order to create Eve (woman). Did this set the tone for women’s submissive role in society? History shows us that this is not true, since women dating as far back as the 6th century had power and were taken seriously. Strong women, such as Perpetua of Carthage, used their faith as a means of helping others and asserting their power in a male-dominated culture. As the years went on, though, women experienced a loss of power and control. A woman’s worth was directly associated with h...
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and mistaken ideas about rape have been with us for centuries. By looking at myths, such as “women ask for it,” and “it would do some women good to get raped,” from a historical perspective, lead us for better understanding how they evolved. Women are still seen as the property of men, are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today’s world. Men are usually more aggressive, and women are seen as passive. (Vogelman) This socialization process is changing, but slowly.
The painting "The Assumption of the Virgin" has a mannerism influence. Mannerism was a XVI century art style influenced by, and at the same time a reaction to, the harmonious ideals of the Italian High Renaissance. Mannerism is notable for its artificial ( as opposed to naturalistic ) qualities which favor compositional tension and instability rather than the balance and clarity of earlier Renaissance painting.
In a traditional household a woman’s most valuable possession is none other than her virginity which is why every so often we are reminded to keep our “ojos abiertos y piernas cerradas” (Quintero 7). It is believed that this is the only option available to prevent a fatal accident that could lead us to become a “mala mujer” no one will take seriously or ever want. Giving up the “only” valuable possession our body holds is considered as giving away our “worth” because men only want one thing from us which is “‘eso” (which is code for “sex”)” (Quintero 146), as mentioned by Gabi’s mom. Our value is basically centered in our
In ancient Greek society women lived hard lives on account of men's patriarch built communities. Women were treated as property. Until about a girl’s teens she was "owned" by her father or lived with her family. Once the girl got married she was possessed by her husband along with all her belongings. An ancient Greece teenage girl would marry about a 30-year-old man that she probably never met before. Many men perceived women as being not being human but creatures that were created to produce children, please men, and to fulfill their household duties. A bride would not even be considered a member of the family until she produced her first child. In addition to having a child, which is a hard and painful task for a teenage girl in ancient civilization to do, the husband gets to decide if he wants the baby. A baby would be left outside to die if the husband was not satisfied with it; usually this would happen because the child was unhealthy, different looking, or a girl.
Apparently, these male-defined concepts and stringent regulations imposed heavier penalties for women than men because women were mandated with the heaviest burden of keeping their honor. Central to the concept of honor was a woman’s need to keep their virginity intact otherwise she would be ostracized by the society. A woman who preserved her virginity was held with honor and esteem because she proved superior to her peers (Lavrin 11). Virginity in itself was a highly esteem social quality worth keeping (Lavrin 11).
In the bible, women were seen as a higher status and honor than concubines; however, they were still less worthy than their h...
Sexuality has become one of the key determining factors in one’s gender. While many want to initially say that gender is solely based on sexual orientation fail to take in to account many cultural practices, which not only influence gender, but create certain gender roles. The initial creation of Mexican gender roles, as Gloria Gonzalez-Lopez suggests, is the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church “over the course of almost five hundred years,” created beliefs that virgins are desirable and that a non-virgin is of a lower moral class (38). From this Mexican women began maintaining their virginity, not because of the moral implications, but because of social mobility. Virginity has been created to be something beautif...
Concepts of virginity can been seen in all aspects of life, from movies, to books, to even religion. This wide-reaching topic has created many controversies and opinions worldwide. So what exactly is virginity? A person, whether a male or female, is believed to be a virgin, when he or she has not engaged in coitus. However, the value of one’s virginity differs depending on location and a culture’s religion. The perception of virginity also differs depending on gender. In females, virginity has been associated with purity, honor, and worth, whereas virginity in males is often pictured as a “conquest”. Virginity is a subject filled with issues of morality, religion, culture, and gender stereotypes.
Teenage pregnancy has always been present in society. There is research stating that about half the women, born between 1900- 1910, who were interviewed were non-virginal at marriage (17 Ravoira). This contradicts some thoughts that premarital sexual behavior is something new. There was another study done in 1953, it found that one fifth of all first births to women were conceived before marriage (17 Ravoira). Even before our modern openness in discussing sexual behavior and acceptance that it does occur, it was quite routine. In earlier society, the incidence of teenage pregnancy was a moral problem. This was because people looked at the child as filius nullius (nobody's child), or illegitimate and the mother as bad, immoral, over- sexed, etc. (18 Ravoira). The child was being blamed for mearly being born, this is unfair to the child who had no fault in the matter (18 Ravoira). The real problem that was seen was the fact that the children were born out-of-wedlock. People seemed to have real difficulty accepting that the baby is still a baby no matter what conditions it was born under.
Hess, Amie. "The Politics of Virginity: Abstinence in Sex Education." MuseJHUEdu. N.p., Mar. 2011. Web. 1 Dec. 2013