Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in the physical act of sexual intercourse. People who have intact virginity are normally referred to as virgins. The maintenance of virginity is usually related to religious or cultural traditions and its significance varies depending on circumstance. Virginity is connected to the tradition of chastity—the conscious decision to avoid sexual activity until marriage. In many major religions, such as Roman Catholicism, refraining from sexual intercourse before marriage has historically been of paramount importance. In some traditions, virginity includes all sexual activity, even those performed individually; i.e., masturbation.
Overview
The term virgin originates from the Latin word virgo, meaning "maiden." The word virgin did not enter the English language until the 1200s; the expressions "to keep" and "to lose" virginity were not used until around 1390. For the bulk of ancient history, the term virgin was used to refer to solely to women with no sexual experience. Over time, the idea of virginity as a desirable state evolved from ancient Jewish, Greek, and Roman beliefs and traditions. These cultures valued the idea of “purity” in unmarried women. Some cultures even believed that virgins of both genders had special powers, such as invulnerability and immortality.
Virginity was especially significant in later Christian traditions, which linked the concepts of sin and virginity through the Biblical figures of Adam and Eve. According to biblical tradition, Adam and Eve were the first humans created by God. They were created as virgins who were unaware of vices such as lust. Their first sexual encounter released sin into the world. Christian theology held that virginity was important and that marriage was a requirement for sexual activity.
The emphasis placed on virginity waned somewhat during the Protestant Reformation of the early sixteenth century, specifically among males. English Protestants ridiculed the rigidity of Christian sexual notions and began encouraging sexual expression within marriage. During this time, male virginity became of little consequence to the public. Virginity among females, however, was still cherished. Despite the revolutionary aspects of the Age of Enlightenment during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, deep-rooted views valuing virginity continued to dominate the majority of the world through the nineteenth century.
As sexual mores loosened throughout the 1900s, virginity became a contentious topic of discussion, especially in the United States. American sexologist Alfred Kinsey's publications Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female were hugely successful in the 1950s. Readers were shocked to learn that many of Kinsey's female subjects had engaged in premarital sex. Kinsey's studies marked the beginning of a new sexual era, culminating in America's “sexual revolution” of the 1960s. During this countercultural revolution, losing one's virginity became an act of rebellion against conservative parents and society as a whole. As the decades wore on, the act of losing one's virginity became a rite of passage for youth. Virginity was soon considered an obstacle to overcome rather than a quality to protect. In modern times, the pendulum has swung back to some degree, with many youths choosing sexual abstinence until adulthood.
Many parts of the world still honor ancient ideas of virginity. Some religions, such as Hinduism and Islam, continue to regard premarital sex as evil and punish those who pursue it, especially women. In fact, many Muslim countries have outlawed premarital sex and consider virginity imperative to male and female relations.
Bernau, Anke. Virgins: A Cultural History. London: Granta, 2008. Print. http://www.amazon.com/Virgins-Cultural-History-Anke-Bernau/dp/184708012X
Carpenter, Lauren M. Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences. New York: NYU Press, 2005. Print. http://books.google.com/books?id=pXXZn_qSoDoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Your Dictionary. "Definition of Virgin." YourDictionary.com. LoveToKnow, Corp. Web. 7 July 2014. http://www.yourdictionary.com/virgin
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