Virginity And Its Effect On Society

The following paper will talk about virginity what may affect the way people view it. This paper will also be talking about the different ways culture and religion can change how young people -by young people it is referring to late adolescences and early adulthood- think about the loss of virginity. Another important topic touched is how double standards can create certain stigmas that are associated with males and females.

The idea of virginity dates back to the 1200s; the term virgin has derived from the Latin word “virgo” meaning maiden or sexually inexperienced young women. In the 1300s virgin was used to describe Mary who gave birth to Jesus. Although in present day english people of all genders can be referred to as a virgin, it is a term that is more commonly used to describe women. With strong associations to saints, virgin has become synonymous to words such as “pure” and “innocent.” The concept of virginity has been around for centuries, how does the social construct of virginity affect women in Canada and USA from 2000- 2015? Is virginity a necessary idea or an outdated one that just uselessly controls the actions and desires of women?

"The Cult of Virginity" by Jessica Valenti touches on multiple topics that I find myself relating to. The most interesting part of this article was how she described virginity. She explains how, even after conducting research in one of the best medical libraries in the world, she still struggled to find a definition (Shaw & Lee, 2015, p 335). I never really pondered on the term too much because I was thinking of it heteronormatively. I like the definition "it isn't sex unless you've had an orgasm" (Shaw & Lee, 2015, p. 335), as opposed to the typical penetration-centered definition.

For centuries people have made decisions or assumptions of others based solely upon what they choose to do in their respective privacies. Societal institutions ranging from schools to religious affiliations have created guidelines surrounding sexual activity that determine when and if it should be done. While the topic of virginity may be taboo for some, people fail to realize the social stigmas associated with the term in itself. In “The Cult of Virginity”, the author succeeds at illuminating the notion that virginity is a socially constructed term that invokes or revokes the morality of women. Valenti does an excellent job of challenging the societal standards regarding virginity by comparing them to her personal experiences as well as referencing the observations of other authors.

However, if the virginity is the major oppressing mechanism of women in Georgia, double standard regarding women sexuality seems to be operating in the American society. According to the author of Female Chauvinist Pigs, Ariel Levy, government upholds virginity, promoting abstinence only education while teens are bombarded by “the images that imply that lust and hotness are the most important virtues.” The article displays that bringing sexual equality into the existing patriarchic system resulted in the further oppression of young girls who engage in sex primarily for the recognition of men: “Sex becomes a conversation about being wanted” rather than the one about the fulfillment of sexual desire.

Many problems regarding sex culture stem from multiple myths regarding the female body being believed by a wide group of people. Hanna Cinthio, author of "'You Go Home and Tell That to My Dad!' Conflicting Claims and Understandings on Hymen and Virginity." Uses her article to explain just how uninformed many people are when it comes to teaching sexual education. "Only six percent of graduates from Swedish teacher education programs have received training in sexuality education" Cinthio states, "and students can still find information in their biology textbooks about how the hymen breaks or tears during the first intercourse; an impression of a visible, lid-like cover which remains intact until ruptured by sex" (Cinthio 173). Young girls are taught completely

Major Claim: Sexually allows us to personally fulfill and express what we are interested in terms of interpersonal means and/or intimacy and romance. Additionally, set forth in this week's readings, sexuality is an aspect that is controlled greatly in our society. To elaborate, the regulations produced by institutions can oppress individuals (such as women, people of color, and especially LGBTQIA+) by condoning various sexual freedoms and partnerships. These institutions regulate what is considered the "normal standard" in terms of sexuality.

Today in American society it is easy to say that there are some cultural issues that have been rising in interest in the past few decades. Some claim Americans have become desensitized and clueless of what is going on, but is America as immoral as everyone makes it seem? In our society we see people debating over abortion, sex culture, genetic engineering, and sexual orientation. Some things I believe are hands down, no question, wrong, but most I believe are just part of changing times and beliefs. The American Culture war somewhat divides the country, and as Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” We must find a way to bring our country to an equal, civil standing, as it is needed, without disregarding

Sexual education teaches adolescents about the use of birth control, their bodies, STD’s, and pregnancy. Due to the awareness of sexual education, adolescents are more careful about sexual intercourse. The pregnancy rate has reached the lowest in modern era between 1990-2010. It declined to 51% pregnancies per 1000 females ages 14-19 to 57.4%. This is the lowest recorded since 1973. Sexual education was not offered in schools until 1983 and many people had close to no knowledge about the options. Even though teens today are aware of their options today, they do not take proper precautions.

Virginity, the subject of never having sexual intercourse based on ideas of tradition, gender, and sexual politics. Many people especially women tend to treasure their virginity and are only willing to lose their virginity to the “right” person. Traditional values of virginity all tie in with marriage. In earlier times and still in today’s society, women will stay a virgin until they were married. In many cultures “Virginity” is often viewed from the perspective that being a virgin is being pure. Delaying sexual initiation until marriage is the norm in countries such as Ethiopia (BMC Public Health, 2008). Historically, woman’s virginity is protected by a father and then “given” to a husband. A woman’s sexuality was believed to belong to the men in her life and to her God (Vagianos, 2013), but in today’s society this idea is not viewed as strongly. Fathers normally tend to be more overprotective of their daughters than they are towards their sons. It traditional gender roles women are seen as the ones that are meant to only give birth to children and care for them. If an unmarried women was to get pregnant at a young age, she would be seen as a disgrace to her family. It would ruin the reputation of her and her family. Some women believe that having

As virginity among young women has been perceived as being more valued than virginity among young men, the importance given to it is something that has been constructed

Sexual education seems to have always been a controversial topic in America. A large part of that is due to most of America holding dear to it’s heart strongly conservative views while also seemingly contradicting that by blatantly adding gratuitous sex scenes to the most basic of TV shows and by slapping obscene titles on the front covers of magazines that sit at checkout at the grocery store. So if sex is everywhere, why isn’t anyone talking about it? In particular why is nobody educating teens on it? Although the latter question may seem like a bit of a stretch it still rings true in many ways. Many college students in America are often confused about their own body’s anatomy or even how sex is supposed to work with another partner. This is largely in part because a majority of American teenagers are taught abstinence only sexual education, or do not receive any sex ed at all. This is unacceptable in a country as advanced as America; at the very least we should leave students feeling confident about themselves and their sexual decisions as well as teaching students proper ways to protect themselves during sexual activity through the use of a comprehensive sexual education program.

Sex work and prostitution has long been a taboo topic in many societies, and the United States is not exempt. It is viewed by many people outside of sex work as exploitive, degrading, morally wrong or questionable, and is criminalized in the United States. However, many people who hold these views, including government officials, either are misinformed about the effects of criminalization or simply do not know the extent of negative consequences. Areas of misinformation include the important distinction between sex work and sex trafficking, the safety of those involved in sex work, measures against the spread of

The traditional roles of domestic woman and adventurous man are found within Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ novel One Hundred Years of Solitude but with a slight twist in the distribution of power. When taking a look at the presentation of each character and the span of their life, it’s not difficult to look at how Marquez presented each one in terms of their femininity and masculinity based on his own opinion of how power is balanced between genders. Each family member is a symbol in their own way and they all work together to establish the concept of continuity and the tradition within the family. The way Marquez chooses to portray female and male characters are very different from one another. This leads one to wonder why he would choose

Virginity is a social construct that has various definitions and values from different people in the United States. I am conducting my research based on the question of whether the concept of losing one’s virginity is valued differently among males and females in the United States, regardless of their sexual orientation.