Essay --

Virginity has always been a controversial subject in the battle for women’s rights. Since early on in history virginity has been representative of a women’s worth or usefulness. A woman who was not a virgin was impure and unworthy of marriage. This premise had carried on today and is present across the modern world. An analysis of virginity and marriage using the feminist theory demonstrates that the importance of virginity is merely a tool used by men to further oppress women. A Virginity test can be performed in several ways; although the test is controversial it is still preformed across the world. To start the belief is that the hymen can only be broken (stretched) through sexual intercourse and that every girl has one; both these statements are false. It is possible and also common that a woman is not born without a hymen. In addition the hymen can be stretched in a multitude of daily activities such as sports or simple accidents. This test performed only on girls is sexist and is promoted in patriarchal society. It promotes acceptance of the idea that male premarital sex is alright but for female it is a grave sin. This widens the gender gap between male and females. The issue of virginity is deep seeded into religious views. Most major religions have some doctrine on abstaining from sexual intercourse until marriage. In the bible common passages describe that men â€Å"shall (Leviticus 21:13-14) shall take a wife in her virginity., or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry.† Similar passages can be found in the Quran and Torah, all describing equal abstinence for men and women. These beliefs aren’t detrimental to any human being for they do not discriminate. But this belief has been al... ...y piece of information. A woman should not be embarrassed chastised or criticized because of her virginity. It is respectable for those women who decide to abstain until marriage but it should be her choice and only hers. I respect ones religious belief that it is only right to have sex after marriage. It is the flawed nature that contorts these beliefs to focus on women that is wrong. It is in these patriarchal societies that unethical behaviour is performed in abundance, in most cases at the sake of women. Although we must ensure the rights of women here in Canada and North America are respected, it is in these societies that activists are most needed. It takes true bravery to stand up in a country, where you can be killed, beaten, or abused for your beliefs. In a country where a woman’s voice is not important, these women stand strong in the face of adversity.