Virginity and Hymen - What is, Relation between them

Virginity and Hymen – The concept of virginity varies significantly across cultures and societies, often carrying diverse meanings and implications. However, its significance and the practices surrounding it have adversely affected gender equality.

For women, virginity is seen as a prerequisite for marriage or a symbol of purity and virtue. Women suffer from discriminatory practices to prove their virginity. One such practice is to check if hymen is intact. Studies show this practice is prevalent in over 20 countries, affecting millions of women annually. (1)

What is Virginity?

Virginity originated from the Greek word ‘Virgo’. In Greek mythology, virginity was used to refer to a goddess Artemis who was immune to the temptations of God of seduction and wine. It was referred to as being independent and autonomous. With the change in time, its definition changed. It is being used for a person who has never been involved in sexual intercourse.

However, sexual intercourse has a varied meaning in different cultures. Some refer to it as vaginal-penile intercourse. This definition is not true for same-sex people who engage in other forms of sex. While some others refer to it as other forms of sex such as oral sex or manual sex etc.

Some people see virginity as a gift for their partners, while in some cultures, it is termed as necessary to enter into a marriage institution, having negative consequences for not being virgin. (3),(4)

What is Hymen?

Actually, Hymen is a thin membrane that covers the opening of the vagina. It is made up of flexible tissue that stretches easily. It is formed in the womb stage. At the time of birth, it is thick usually and with an increase in age, it becomes thin and worn with time. It is not known what work it does exactly. Some say that it protects the vagina from bacteria. (7)

Two hymens are not the same as two vaginas are not the same. It may have different shapes and sizes. Some of the forms are as follows:

Annular or crescent-shaped hymen: At birth, usually the hymen surrounds the vaginal opening in a circle resembling the shape of a donut, then it changes into a crescent shape.
Cribriform hymen: In this condition, hymen have small holes allowing menstrual blood to pass through them.
Imperforate hymen: This is a rare condition in which hymen entirely covers the vaginal opening. Due to the entire covering the menstruation blood cannot come out of the body and causes pain. (7)

Read Also: Orgasm gap: What you need to know

Why does hymen break?

Besides having sexual intercourse, the hymen can break due to other reasons such as involvement in sports activities, tampons, gymnastics, cycling, and riding. Research has shown that more than 50%of women and girls with previous intercourse had no signs of trauma to their hymen. When it breaks, most of the women don’t know about it. For some, it bleeds and causes a little pain. It may also be possible that it does not exist in some women. (2)

Hymen as a sign of virginity

Many people believe that an intact hymen in a woman and blood soaking on a sheet after having sex for the first time is a sign of virginity. In many families, the sheet having blood stains is even shown to the boys’ and girls’ parents for validation of marriage. In India, kanjarbhat community, virginity tests were conducted for new brides to check their virginity.

Worldwide these kinds of practices prevail in different forms: two-finger tests, visual tests, egg tests to check if hymen is broken or not.

In the UK, before 1980, virginity tests were conducted on immigrant women. The British government argued that if the women were virgins, they were more likely to be telling the truth about their reason for immigrating to the country

In Indonesia, virginity tests were conducted for females seeking jobs in the military and police. In 2021 the Indonesian army stopped this testing. Virginity tests were also used in Iran, Afghanistan, and Egypt. (5)

How does it affect the lives of women?

The hymen myth doesn’t just affect women’s sexual well-being and equality – it can impede their access to justice. (5)

Exposing girls and women to virginity tests can have a wide range of physical, psychological, and social consequences. Virginity test creates fear and serves to shame, control, and punish female sexuality. It becomes a lifelong trauma for women to experience these tests.

The virginity leads them to be devoid of freedom, limiting themselves to be within the walls of a home. (6)

Surgeries to fix hymen

Naturally, once hymen is broken it cannot be recovered. Some females undertake surgeries such as hymenoplasty to recover their hymen out of fear of rejection by society. This surgery is expensive and can cause pain and discomfort.

Rather than resorting to these surgeries, females should be provided counseling to address their concerns, strengthen confidence, and reduce feelings of shame.

Human rights violation

Virginity testing is gender discriminatory and when it is carried out without consent, it leads to sexual violence. Virginity test (hymen examination) is used to determine if women have suffered from sexual violence. Having no scientific evidence of this test, it further exacerbated the trauma of rape victims.

The World Health Organization has called for a ban on virginity tests calling it a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It should not be practiced in any circumstance. (8) In India- the Supreme Court held that two-finger tests violate a woman’s right to privacy.

A note from kamarth – Virginity and Hymen

Virginity is not a medical term rather it is a social, cultural, and religious term. It has nothing to do with intact hymen. The association of these two terms puts unnecessary pressure on females leading to their exploitation.

Education, legal reforms, and Awareness are necessary in order to break these stereotypes. In order to uphold the rights and dignity of women, it is crucial to break these myths. There is a need for efforts by all individuals towards creating a society that supports survivors and rejects practices based on harmful beliefs about hymen and sexual purity.

Some Additional Doubts

Question: What is the most common type of hymen?
Answer: Annular hymen is the most common which forms a ring around the vaginal opening.

Question: At what age hymen disappear?
Answer: There is no specific age for hymen to disappear. It varies across individuals.

Question: Does a menstrual cup break hymen?
Answer: If you put the cup in the right manner, it does not break your hymen.

Question: Does Hymen grow back?
Answer: It is not possible once hymen is torn

Question: Is it possible to not have hymen at birth?
Answer: It is possible as some girls are born without hymen.

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Virginity and Hymen – What is, Relation between them

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