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83-634: A maiden is a male or female virgin. Maiden or Maidens may also refer to: Maiden Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse ; it is considered a social construct , not an objective term with an operational definition . Social definitions of virginity therefore vary. Heterosexual individuals may or may not consider loss of virginity to occur only through penile-vaginal penetration, while people of other sexual orientations often include oral sex , anal sex , or manual sex in their definitions of losing one's virginity. The term virgin encompasses

166-406: A Herr or Frau respectively (and almost never with a Fräulein ); the contrary shall be noted as exceptions in the following. All clergy and ministers are usually called Herr (or Protestants also: Frau ) plus the title of their office, e. g., Herr Pfarrer , Frau Pastorin . Adjectival predicates are only used for Roman Catholic clergy, and then in the following order: Whether Monsignors of

249-421: A bride's virginity before her marriage. This has traditionally been tested by inspection for an "intact" hymen , or by a "proof of blood", which refers to vaginal bleeding wrongly believed to be caused by the tearing of the hymen after the first sanctioned sexual contact. Coerced medical virginity tests are practiced in many regions of the world, but are today condemned as a form of abuse of women. According to

332-654: A factor in encouraging both girls and boys to have sex. Some studies suggest that people commence sexual activity at an earlier age than previous generations. The 2005 Durex Global sex survey found that people worldwide are having sex for the first time at an average age of 17.3, ranging from 15.6 in Iceland to 19.8 in India (though evidence has shown that the average age is not a good indicator of sexual initiation, and that percentages of sexually initiated youth at each age are preferred). A 2008 survey of UK teenagers between

415-425: A female is commonly considered within many cultures to be an important personal milestone. Its significance is reflected in expressions such as "saving oneself", "losing one's virginity," "taking someone's virginity" and sometimes as "deflowering". The occasion is at times seen as the end of innocence, integrity, or purity, and the sexualization of the individual. Traditionally, there was a cultural expectation that

498-542: A female referent. Unlike English, German also has a specific word for a male virgin Jüngling (Youngling) . It is, however, dated and rarely used. Jungfrau , with some masculine modifier, is more typical, as evidenced by the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin , about a 40-year-old male virgin, titled in German, Jungfrau (40), männlich, sucht… . German also distinguishes between young women and girls , who are denoted by

581-416: A female would not engage in premarital sex and would come to her wedding a virgin and that she would "give up" her virginity to her new husband in the act of consummation of the marriage. Feminine sexual practices have revolved around the idea of females waiting to have sex until they are married. Some females who have been previously sexually active (or their hymen has been otherwise damaged) may undergo

664-534: A measurable change during first experience of vaginal intercourse. Some medical procedures occasionally may require a woman's hymen to be opened ( hymenotomy ). Historically, and in modern times, female virginity has been regarded as more significant than male virginity; the perception that sexual prowess is fundamental to masculinity has lowered the expectation of male virginity without lowering social status. For example, in Mataram , Indonesia , where around 80% of

747-440: A person knighted for their (in this case commercial) achievements. Germany generally has not kept the practice, except for the fine arts ( Kammersänger , Staatsschauspieler and so forth). People who had received a title under the monarchies usually retained them until their death. On the other hand, the distinction Hoflieferant ("Court supplier") was not strictly speaking a honorific (though often used as such), but implied

830-484: A priest who serves as teacher of religion at a state school). Professors of theology are always addressed by their academic function (except, possibly, if prelates, which usually, though of similar eminence, they aren't). Parochial vicars usually have the honorific title Kaplan (chaplain), while actual chaplains as a rule have the in this case honorific title Pfarrer ("parish priest"). The traditional honorifics for nobility are, in descending order, The last one

913-433: A range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern and ethical concepts. Religious rituals for regaining virginity exist in many cultures. Some men and women consider themselves born-again virgins . There are cultural and religious traditions that place special value and significance on this state, predominantly towards unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor , and worth. Like chastity ,

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996-446: A skydiving "virgin". In the latter usage, virgin means uninitiated, as in the much older virgin knight . "Virgin" is also used as an adjective in terms like virgin field . The concept of virginity has significance only in a particular social, cultural or moral context. According to Hanne Blank , "virginity reflects no known biological imperative and grants no demonstrable evolutionary advantage." Medieval bestiaries stated that

1079-435: A study by researcher and author Laura M. Carpenter, many men and women discussed how they felt virginity could not be taken through rape. They described losing their virginities in one of three ways: "as a gift, stigma or part of the process." Carpenter states that despite perceptions of what determines virginity loss being as varied among gay men and lesbians as they are among heterosexuals, and in some cases more varied among

1162-482: A study released in 2008 by the Guttmacher Institute , author of the findings Laura Lindberg stated that there "is a widespread belief that teens engage in nonvaginal forms of sex, especially oral sex, as a way to be sexually active while still claiming that technically, they are virgins", but that her study drew the conclusion that "research shows that this supposed substitution of oral sex for vaginal sex

1245-510: A surgical procedure, called hymenorrhaphy or hymenoplasty, to repair or replace her hymen, and cause vaginal bleeding on the next intercourse as proof of virginity ( see below ). In some cultures, an unmarried female who is found not to be a virgin, whether by choice or as a result of a rape , can be subject to shame, ostracism or even an honor killing . In those cultures, female virginity is closely interwoven with personal or even family honor, especially those known as shame societies , in which

1328-482: A virgin complex directed towards oneself. There are varying understandings as to which types of sexual activities result in loss of virginity. The traditional view is that virginity is only lost through vaginal penetration by the penis, consensual or non-consensual, and that acts of oral sex , anal sex , manual sex or other forms of non-penetrative sex do not result in loss of virginity. A person who engages in such acts without having engaged in vaginal intercourse

1411-444: A virginity pledge, and deduced that there was substitution of oral and anal sex for vaginal sex among the pledgers. However, the data for anal sex without vaginal sex reported by males did not reflect this directly. Early loss of virginity has been shown to be linked to factors such as level of education, independence, biological factors like age and gender, and social factors such as parental supervision or religious affiliation, with

1494-400: Is Herr (or nowadays Frau ) plus their military rank , e. g., Herr Leutnant . If needed for distinction, the last name can be attached. Subordinates can alternatively be called with rank plus last-name. For soldiers who know each other, for Mannschaften (enlisted personnel not NCOs) among themselves, and also for an officer from the same unit to an enlisted soldier whom he knows personally,

1577-615: Is Monsignore (using the Italian form), but it is only usually used for Monsignors of the first degree (Chaplains of His Holiness), not for prelates as in English, or for bishops as in Italian. If used, protocol demands to leave away the usual Herr (to avoid the meaning "Lord My Lord"), but this is uncommon in German and the incorrect phrase "Herr Monsignore" can often be heard. Higher prelates are addressed Herr Prälat (not, usually, "Herr Protonotar "), or possibly with their office (if it

1660-425: Is " Sie ." Grammatically speaking, this is the 3rd-person-plural form, and, as a subject of a sentence, it always takes the 3rd-person-plural forms of verbs and possessive adjective/ pronouns, even when talking to only one person. (Familiar pronouns have singular and plural forms.) Honorific pronouns are always capitalized except for the polite reflexive pronoun " sich ." In letters, e-mails, and other texts in which

1743-422: Is a virgin, and a man cannot divorce her on grounds that she was not. Hymenorraphy is considered a form of cosmetic surgery, and is not generally accepted, taught, or regulated by the medical profession. There is a common belief that some women are born without a hymen, but some doubt has been cast on this by a recent study. It is likely that almost all women are born with a hymen, but most will not experience

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1826-413: Is also applied to men, in both cases specifically denoting absence of sexual experience. When used of men, it does not carry a strong association of "never-married" status. However, in reference to women, historically, it was sometimes used to refer to an engaged woman— parthenos autou (παρθένος αὐτού, his virgin) = his fiancée as opposed to gunē autou (γυνή αὐτού, his woman) = his wife. This distinction

1909-620: Is at later ages than that of women, but is often extra-marital. This group included sub-Saharan Africa (the study listed Mali, Senegal and Ethiopia). The study considered the Indian subcontinent to also fall into this group, although data was only available from Nepal. In the second group, the data indicated families encouraged daughters to delay marriage, and to abstain from sexual activity before that time. However, sons are encouraged to gain experience with older women or prostitutes before marriage. Age of men at sexual initiation in these societies

1992-529: Is at lower ages than that of women. This group includes Latin cultures, both from southern Europe (Portugal, Greece and Romania are noted) and from Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and the Dominican Republic). The study considered many Asian societies to also fall into this group, although matching data was only available from Thailand. In the third group, age of men and women at sexual initiation

2075-462: Is considered incorrect to attach Herr, Frau, Fräulein to "Baron" and so forth, except if the Baron in question is one's actual superior, though this appears often nevertheless. It certainly is incorrect to speak of "Herr Freiherr" and so forth, seeing that this is a doubling, so sometimes the phrase "[sehr geehrter] Freiherr von [e. g.] Sonstwoher" is used (given that Freiherr is unquestionably part of

2158-409: Is forbidden to attach honorifics to themselves or demand them (but may attach them to family members). The equivalent of a Baron is called Freiherr (fem. Freifrau , fem. unmarried Freifräulein , which is rare, or its more usual abbreviation Freiin ), though some "Barone" exist with foreign (e. g. Russian) titles. Nevertheless, in address they are usually called "Baron", "Baronin", and "Baroneß". It

2241-475: Is found in a Middle English manuscript held at Trinity College, Cambridge of about 1200: Ðar haueð ... martirs, and confessors, and uirgines maked faier bode inne to women. In this, and many later contexts, the reference is specifically Christian, alluding to members of the Ordo Virginum (Order of Virgins), which applies to the consecrated virgins known to have existed since the early church from

2324-505: Is illegal, and physicians are encouraged to instead provide education, guidance, social support, and where needed, physical protection. Such virginity-testing bans have been controversial; while there is a consensus that virginity cannot be scientifically and medically certified, some physicians argue that certificates, while intrinsically dishonest, protect vulnerable women from potentially life-threatening danger. Some women undergo hymenorrhaphy (or hymenoplasty) to reshape their hymens with

2407-487: Is in full vigour as far as courtrooms are concerned, where the participants will all the time be addressed as Herr Angeklagter ("Mr. Defendant"), Herr Verteidiger ("Mr. Defending Counsel"), Herr Zeuge ("Mr. Witness"), Herr Kläger ("Mr. Plaintiff") and so forth. Judges are Herr Richter , Herr Vorsitzender , Herr Vizepräsident or Herr Präsident (depending on their rank), similarly the public prosecutors (usually Herr Staatsanwalt ). The general address for soldiers

2490-808: Is largely a myth". A 2003 study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality focusing on definitions of "having sex" and noting studies concerning university students from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia reported that "[w]hile the vast majority of respondents (more than 97%) in these three studies included penile-vaginal intercourse in their definition of sex, fewer (between 70% and 90%) respondents considered penile-anal intercourse to constitute having sex" and that "oral-genital behaviours were defined as sex by between 32% and 58% of respondents". A different study by

2573-607: Is lost." The concept of "technical virginity" or sexual abstinence through oral sex is popular among teenagers. For example, oral sex is common among adolescent girls who fellate their boyfriends not only to preserve their virginity, but also to create and maintain intimacy or to avoid pregnancy. In a 1999 study published in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association ), the definition of "sex"

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2656-613: Is necessary due to there being no specific word for wife (or husband) in Greek. By extension from its primary sense, the idea that a virgin has a sexual "blank slate", unchanged by any past intimate connection or experience, can imply that the person is of unadulterated purity. The English sense is not retricted to youth or females; older women can be virgins ( the Virgin Queen ), men can be virgins, and potential initiates into many fields can be colloquially termed virgins ; for example,

2739-421: Is not known and the addresser is not familiar with the shoulder strap), but otherwise somewhat outdated. As teachers on public schools are, as a rule, civil servants (and on Church schools often receive a similar status), this is likewise true for teachers, with the exception that for teachers not the headmaster, it is perhaps even a bit more outdated to use their rank than for other civil servants. It used to be

2822-548: Is not that of a Cathedral capitular without further distinction, in which case the title of prelate is preferred.) Abbots are addressed Herr Abt or Vater Abt ("Father Abbot"), abbesses Frau Äbtissin or Mutter Äbtissin ("Mother Abbess"). (The "Father" and "Mother" versions are one of the few cases where Herr or Frau falls away.) Other male religious are called Pater ("Father", but in Latin) if priests and Frater ("Brother", but also in Latin) if not, sometimes together with

2905-514: Is now completely obsolete, as is the incorrect practice of elevating bourgeois notables to Hochwohlgeboren (which emerged in the last years of the German monarchies to give expression to the importance of the bourgeoisie in a society that was in its formalities still pre–Industrial Revolution). But also Erlaucht , Hochgeboren , Hochwohlgeboren are increasingly rare (and some make a point of not attaching any such predicate unless to sovereigns of non-German states). Austrian (but not German) nobility

2988-445: Is often regarded among heterosexuals and researchers as "technically a virgin". By contrast, gay or lesbian individuals often describe such acts as resulting in loss of virginity. Some gay males regard penile-anal penetration as resulting in loss of virginity, but not fellatio , handjobs or other types of non-penetrative sex, while lesbians may regard cunnilingus or fingering as virginity loss. Some lesbians who debate

3071-470: Is regarded as a valuable commodity in some cultures. In the past, within most societies a woman's options for marriage were largely dependent upon her status as a virgin. Those women who were not virgins experienced a dramatic decrease in opportunities for a socially advantageous marriage, and in some instances the premarital loss of virginity eliminated their chances of marriage entirely. Modern virginity auctions , like that of Natalie Dylan , are discussed in

3154-517: Is the Kommerzialrat (Prussia: Kommerzienrat ) ("Commercial Counsellor [implied: to the Court]), which denotes an entitled businessman. In the monarchies, there also was an "augmented" form of that, in this case Geheimer Kommerzialrat , generally received by adding the adjective "Geheim" (see Geheimrat ). This literally means "Privy (Commercial, etc.) Councillor" and is roughly the equivalent of

3237-409: Is used; after retirement, the title Pfarrer (parish priest, pastor) can be kept if held at some point in their life. It is also quite common to address such priests with their academic rank, if they have some ("[hochwürdiger] Herr Dr. Lastname", for a doctor), or their civil-servant rank if they have some ("[hochwürdiger] Herr Oberstudienrat", literally something like "Rev. Mr. Teacher-first-class", for

3320-749: The Guttmacher Institute showed that in the countries surveyed, most men have experienced sexual intercourse by their 20th birthdays. Male sexuality is seen as something that is innate and competitive and displays a different set of cultural values and stigmas from female sexuality and virginity. In one study, scholars Wenger and Berger found that male virginity is understood to be real by society, but it has been ignored by sociological studies. Within British and American culture in particular, male virginity has been made an object of embarrassment and ridicule in films such as Summer of '42 , American Pie , The Inbetweeners Movie and The 40-Year-Old Virgin , with

3403-555: The World Health Organization (WHO): " Sexual violence encompasses a wide range of acts including (...) violent acts against the sexual integrity of women, including female genital mutilation and obligatory inspections for virginity ". Although it is not actually possible to determine virginity by inspection, some doctors feel socially pressured into performing " virginity testing " inspections and providing "certificates of virginity". In some jurisdictions, this

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3486-468: The nuncio ), but especially Seine Gnaden (which dates from a time when not all bishops were accorded the style "Excellency" then considered higher) and hochehrwürdig and wohlehrwürdig (which tend to be replaced by a simple ehrwürdig ), followed by "Excellency" at least as far as auxiliary bishops are concerned. It is good style, though, to use them at least in all places where layfolk would be addressed as sehr geehrte (which they replace), such as at

3569-508: The root form of Latin virgo , genitive virginis , meaning literally "maiden" or " virgin " The words virgino (“female virgin”) and virgulo (literally "virgin person" but often used for a male virgin) are hyponyms . The Latin word likely arose by analogy with a suit of lexemes based on vireo , meaning "to be green, fresh or flourishing", mostly with botanic reference—in particular, virga meaning "strip of wood". The first known use of virgin in English

3652-524: The 2013 documentary How to Lose Your Virginity . The Bible required a man who had sex with a virgin to pay her bride price to her father and marry the girl. In some countries, until the late 20th century, a woman could sue a man who had taken her virginity but did not marry her. In some languages, the compensation for these damages are called " wreath money ". Despite common cultural beliefs, links between hymen state and vaginal penetration are not clear-cut. Inserting objects (including penises) into

3735-471: The French «  vous  ») or the 3rd person singular (" Er " He, " Sie " She) and their corresponding possessive adjectives and verb forms were used. The 3rd person plural as polite form of address as it is used today became standard during the 19th and 20th centuries. For more details about German grammar, see the entries about the German language. Using "Herr" for very young men, certainly those below

3818-575: The Kinsey Institute sampled 484 people, ranging in ages 18–96. "Nearly 95 percent of people in the study agreed that penile-vaginal intercourse meant 'had sex.' But the numbers changed as the questions got more specific." 11 percent of respondents based "had sex" on whether the man had achieved an orgasm , concluding that absence of an orgasm does not constitute "having had" sex. "About 80 percent of respondents said penile-anal intercourse meant 'had sex.' About 70 percent of people believed oral sex

3901-560: The United States, approximately 25% of 15-year-olds and 50% of 17-year-olds have had sex. A 2002 international survey sought to study the sexual behavior of teenagers . 33,943 students aged 15, from 24 countries, completed a self-administered, anonymous, classroom survey, consisting of a standard questionnaire, developed by the HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) international research network. The survey revealed that

3984-519: The age of 16, is rather awkward and often avoided (except in letters from the state's bureaucracy) by using the first name, or first name and last name. There used to be a direct equivalent to Fräulein , viz., Junker (formed “jung Herr”, lit. “young lord”, and equivalent to Master in English), but this word is now only used in describing a specific class (which properly speaking did not consist of "junkers" in this sense at all, but of "Herren") and in

4067-528: The ages of 14 and 17 (conducted by YouGov for Channel 4 ), showed that only 6% of these teenagers intended to wait until marriage before having sex. According to a 2011 CDC study, in the 15-to-19-year-old age group 43 percent of males and 48 percent of females in the United States reported never having an opposite-sex partner. Frau Like many languages, German has pronouns for both familiar (used with family members, intimate friends, and children) and polite forms of address. The polite equivalent of "you"

4150-462: The beginning of letters, speeches and so forth. The oft-seen abbreviation "H. H." (e. g. in obituaries) means "hochwürdigster Herr". It is incorrect to address an auxiliary bishop as "Herr Weihbischof"; he must be called Herr Bischof . Cardinals are always Herr Kardinal (or more formally Seine/Euer Eminenz ), never, for instance, Herr Erzbischof even if they are diocesan archbishops and are addressed as such. The literal translation of "Monsignor"

4233-441: The case that the name of professions was used as a honorific, together with Herr (or Frau ), e. g. Herr Schriftsteller ("Mr. Professional Writer"), Herr Installateur ("Mr. Plumber") and so forth. This is generally outdated. Though there is a professional qualification called Meister ("master craftsman"), and there is also an outdated honorific called Meister (in this case roughly equivalent to "goodman"; in use, when "Herr"

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4316-590: The concept of virginity has traditionally involved sexual abstinence . The concept of virginity usually involves moral or religious issues and can have consequences in terms of social status and in interpersonal relationships . Although virginity has social implications and had significant legal implications in some societies in the past, it has no legal consequences in most societies today. The social implications of virginity still remain in many societies and can have varying effects on an individual's social agency. The word virgin comes via Old French virgine from

4399-409: The concept of virginity is also dubious because of the many individual definitions of virginity loss, and that valuing virginity has placed a woman's morality "between her legs." She critiques the notion that sexual activity has any influence on morality or ethics. The urge of wanting one's spouse or partner to have never engaged in sexual activities is called a virgin complex . A person may also have

4482-589: The eighteen definitions of virgin from the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary ( OED1 , pages 230–232). Most of the OED1 definitions, however, are similar. The German word for "virgin" is Jungfrau . Jungfrau literally means "young woman", but is not used in this sense anymore. Instead junge Frau can be used. Jungfrau is the word reserved specifically for sexual inexperience. As Frau means "woman", it suggests

4565-403: The first degree (that is, Chaplains of His Holiness) are hochwürdigst or hochwürdig is a borderline case. The predicate hochwürdigst is sometimes also extended to other priests of certain high positions (say, cathedral capitulars ), but never for parish priests or for deans. All these predicates are in increasingly sparing use (except for the first, and except for "Excellency" as applied to

4648-439: The former, that the matter has been described to her as people viewing sexual acts relating to virginity loss as "acts that correspond to your sexual orientation," which suggests the following: "So if you're a gay male, you're supposed to have anal sex because that's what gay men do. And if you're a gay woman, then you're supposed to have oral sex, because that's what gay women do. And so those become, like markers, for when virginity

4731-537: The general caveats concerning the use of Fräulein ). However, a practising female physician or attorney would be Frau Doktor if holding a doctorate; a Fräulein Doktor suggests an unmarried woman with a doctorate in an academic (or retired) position. In German, the last name can be added after the honorific and academic title, e.g., "Frau Professor Müller". The otherwise outdated use of calling people with Herr and their functions (when they are not ranks of any kind)

4814-421: The hymen. Hymens rarely completely cover the vagina , hymens naturally have irregularities in width, and hymens can heal spontaneously without scarring. Visible breaks in the hymen, including complete hymenal clefts, are also common in girls and women who have never been sexually active. Medical professionals therefore recommend against describing hymens as "intact" or "broken". Some cultures require proof of

4897-495: The intent of causing vaginal bleeding on the next intercourse. Hymenorraphy is based on the false belief that all women bleed when first having vaginal intercourse; in fact, only about half bleed. In some cultures, the nuptial blood-spotted bed sheet would be displayed as proof of both consummation of marriage and that the bride had been a virgin. Hymens have few blood vessels and may not bleed significantly even when torn, and vaginal walls may bleed significantly when torn. Blood on

4980-407: The loss of virginity before marriage is a matter of deep shame. In some parts of Africa, the myth that sex with a virgin can cure HIV/AIDS continues to prevail, leading to girls and women being raped. In other societies, such as many modern-day Western cultures, lack of sexual abstinence before marriage is not as socially stigmatized as it may be in the formerly mentioned cultures. Virginity

5063-524: The majority of the students were still virgins (they had no experience of sexual intercourse), and, among those who were sexually active, the majority (82%) used contraception. In a 2005 Kaiser Family Foundation study of US teenagers, 29% of teens reported feeling pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually active teens reported "being in a relationship where they felt things were moving too fast sexually", and 24% had "done something sexual they didn't really want to do". Several polls have indicated peer pressure as

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5146-426: The male virgin typically being presented as socially inept. Such attitudes have resulted in some men keeping their status as a virgin a secret. The prevalence of virginity varies from culture to culture. In cultures which place importance on a female's virginity at marriage, the age at which virginity is lost is in effect determined by the age at which marriages would normally take place in those cultures, as well as

5229-596: The minimum marriage age set by the laws of the country where the marriage takes place. In a cross-cultural study, At what age do women and men have their first sexual intercourse? (2003), Michael Bozon of the French Institut national d'études démographiques found that contemporary cultures fall into three broad categories. In the first group, the data indicated families arranging marriage for daughters as close to puberty as possible with significantly older men. Age of men at sexual initiation in these societies

5312-817: The most common being sociodemographic variables. Along with this, sexual abuse has also been shown to have a link to later risky sexual behaviors and a younger age of voluntary sexual intercourse. Sexual initiation at an earlier age has been associated with: less frequency of condom use, less satisfaction and more frequency of non-autonomous reasons for that first sexual encounter. Adverse effects for losing virginity at an early age include lower chance of economic stability, lower level of education, social isolation, marital disruption and greater medical consequences. These medical consequences consist of an increase in STDs, cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, fertility and unwanted pregnancies. The first act of sexual intercourse by

5395-667: The name of the person in Germany - not in Austria - while calling him "Baron" means treating him as nobility). It is likewise considered incorrect to attach Herr, Frau, Fräulein to Counts (m. Graf , fem. Gräfin , fem. unmarried Komteß ), unless the Count in question is one's actual superior, though again this still appears often Doktor and Magistra are the only honorifics (other than those of lower nobility) which can be combined not only with Frau but also with Fräulein (subject to

5478-646: The only way to capture or tame a unicorn was by way of using a virgin as a lure, due to her implied purity. The topic is popular in Renaissance paintings. Although virginity has historically been correlated with purity and worth, many feminist scholars believe that virginity itself is a myth. They argue that no standardized medical definition of virginity exists, that there is no scientifically verifiable proof of virginity loss, and that sexual intercourse results in no change in personality. Jessica Valenti , feminist writer and author of The Purity Myth , reasons that

5561-590: The population are Muslims, unmarried women who are not virgins may be subject to name-calling, shunning , or family shame, while unmarried men who have lost their virginities are not, though premarital sex is forbidden in the Quran with regard to both men and women. Among various countries or cultures, males are expected or encouraged to want to engage in sexual activity, and to be more sexually experienced. Not following these standards often leads to teasing and other such ridicule from their male peers. A 2003 study by

5644-466: The rank can fall away except if the subordinate addresses the superior, but Herr is never attached to the last-name simply. Superiors can alternatively call their enlisted subordinates by their function (e. g. Richtschütze "gunner", Kraftfahrer "motorist", Truppführer "assistant squad leader", and so forth). The NVA used Genosse ("Comrade") instead of Herr . In the Imperial Army ,

5727-440: The reader is directly addressed, familiar pronouns may be capitalized or not. In schoolbooks, the pronouns usually remain lowercased. Declension of the polite personal pronoun " Sie ": Nominative case: Sie Accusative case: Sie Genitive case: Ihrer Dative case: Ihnen Declension of polite possessive adjectives: Obsolete forms of honorific addresses: In former times, the 2nd person plural (" Ihr " ; like

5810-405: The sheets on first intercourse is more likely to be due to lacerations to the vaginal wall caused by inadequate vaginal lubrication or forced penetration. A small study found that of 19 women who underwent hymenorrhaphy, 17 did not have bleeding at the next intercourse. In Iran, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadeq Rohani has issued a fatwa which states that a women, after undergoing hymenorrhaphy,

5893-411: The style of "Excellency" was appropriate for some high-ranking generals. A direct equivalent to the frequent anglophone use of "Sir" does not exist. Civil servants ( Beamten ) used to be called with Herr or Frau plus their rank (for their respective ranks, see the tables at Beamter ). This is in full vigour for police-officers (with the now unused rank Wachtmeister stepping in if the precise rank

5976-481: The surname, sometimes also with the first name (though Canons Regular are called Herr rather than Pater or Frater). Female religious are called Schwester ("Sister", but this time in German). This is not used together with both Herr/Frau and their name, though in the address, it is quite common to address a religious priest who does pastoral work in a parish orally as Herr Pater ("Mr. Father"). (Note generally that

6059-412: The term Fahnenjunker ("officer candidate 3rd class"), reflecting the tradition that only officers are Herren (though now used together with "Herr", see below under military). Also, it never lost the touch of describing exclusively those of higher class, which was originally true of all the four mentioned above but has been lost by all of them. Note that almost all other honorifics will be combined with

6142-461: The traditional definition consider whether or not non-penile forms of vaginal penetration constitute virginity loss, while other gay men and lesbians assert that the term virginity is meaningless to them because of the prevalence of the traditional definition. Whether a person can lose their virginity through rape is also subject to debate, with the belief that virginity can only be lost through consensual sex being prevalent in some studies. In

6225-483: The translation of "Father" into German is only used for the Pope and for abbots, and into Latin only for religious clergy.) - The office of "Priester" ( priest ) taken simply is nb. never used as a title (there is "Herr Diakon" and "Herr Bischof" but no "Herr Priester"). In the usually brief period where a secular priest has no office that could be used in addressing him, the phrase "Herr Neupriester" ("Mr. New Priest")

6308-492: The vagina may or may not affect the hymen . The state of a hymen cannot be used to prove or disprove virginity . Penile penetration does not lead to predictable changes to female genital organs; after puberty, hymens are highly elastic and can stretch during penetration without trace of injury. Females with a confirmed history of sexual abuse involving genital penetration may have normal hymens. Young females who say they have had consensual sex mostly show no identifiable changes in

6391-571: The word Mädchen . The English cognate "maid" was often used to imply virginity, especially in poetry – e.g. Maid Marian , the love interest of the legendary outlaw Robin Hood in English folklore . German is not the only language to have a specific name for male virginity; in French, a male virgin is called a " puceau ". The Greek word for "virgin" is parthenos ( παρθένος , see Parthenon ). Although typically applied to women, like English, it

6474-533: The writings of the Church Fathers . By about 1300, the word was expanded to apply also to Mary , the mother of Jesus , hence to sexual virginity explicitly: Conceiud o þe hali gast, born o þe virgine marie. Further expansion of the word to include virtuous (or naïve) young women, irrespective of religious connection, occurred over about another century, until by about 1400 we find: Voide & vacand of vices as virgyns it ware. These are three of

6557-497: Was examined based on a 1991 random sample of 599 college students from 29 US states; it found that 60% said oral-genital contact (like fellatio, cunnilingus) did not constitute having sex. Stephanie Sanders of the Kinsey Institute , co-author of the study, stated, "That's the 'technical virginity' thing that's going on." She and other researchers titled their findings "Would You Say You 'Had Sex' If ...?" By contrast, in

6640-466: Was lower, with both men and women involved in sexual activity before any union formation. The study listed Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic as members of this group. According to a 2001 UNICEF survey, in 10 out of 12 developed nations with available data, more than two thirds of young people have had sexual intercourse while still in their teens. In Australia, the United Kingdom and

6723-601: Was more closely matched. There were two sub-groups, however. In non-Latin, Catholic countries (Poland and Lithuania are mentioned), age at sexual initiation was higher, suggesting later marriage and reciprocal valuing of male and female virginity. The same pattern of late marriage and reciprocal valuing of virginity was reflected in Singapore and Sri Lanka. The study considered China and Vietnam to also fall into this group, although data were not available. Finally, in northern and eastern European countries, age at sexual initiation

6806-529: Was only applied to high-ranking persons, for the non-dependent men below them), this was never a honorific specifically in use for master craftsmen. In Austria – and in monarchical times also in Germany – the Head of State can give certain titles to people of notable achievements in their profession (and, if not for civil servants, usually considerable donations to public welfare). These, again, are usually used with Herr and Frau respectively. A well-known example

6889-482: Was sex." Virginity pledges (or abstinence pledges) made by heterosexual teenagers and young adults may also include the practice of "technical virginity". In a peer-reviewed study by sociologists Peter Bearman and Hannah Brueckner, which looked at virginity pledgers five years after their pledge, they found that the pledgers have similar proportions of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and at least as high proportions of anal and oral sex as those who have not made

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