Sexuality is a very emotionally-laden concept as it evokes rich experiences and imaginations. The wealth of our indigenous languages in the form of euphemism, circumlocutions, colloquialism, green jokes and double meaning revolving around delicate topics of sexual intercourse, virginity & virility reflects the moral & socio-political issues of the concept. Moral taboos suppress the strong sexual feelings which still find their way to leak across the communication channels creating new highly context-based concepts. In psycholinguistic approach, further studies of our "sexual terms" which are observed to be everywhere would help us understand better the very deep attachment we have with this human facet.
It is also moral taboos which mystified virginity rendering the overvaluation of the hymen, that small film of membrane at the external part of the human female genital which partially, or in rare cases (of imperforate hymen) totally covers the orifice. Although seemingly biologically insignificant, there is an ongoing fuss over this literal part of the woman's body among the mothers and daughters as well as among the men and teenagers, religious or not, singles & couples alike.
The hymen is known to have no significant anatomical functions for women as per medical science, except for the protection of the internal reproductive organ from possible infections for young girls. It becomes more elastic, simultaneous with physical growth as an implication of preparation to motherhood. However, societies across history & loci, even at present, made it morally and socially functional. These functions gather the myth, which is the widely held belief that the presence or absence of this leftover flesh defines the sexual experience or inexperience of a human female, and its repercussions.
For one, it becomes a measure of a woman's moral worth as it serves as a proof of maiden purity. This is believed to be a significant prerequisite of an honorable marriage. It draws the line between the married and the unmarried wherein the unmarried is expected to be virgin until the wedding night. If proven otherwise, the bride suffers the possible consequences like the husband's tacit or blatant rejection which in some cases are accompanied by physical & emotional abuse, societal condemnation & economic losses for the case of a dowry system. I have heard a story in 2008 about a groom in France who filed for an annulment upon discovering during the wedding night that his bride allegedly lied about her "devirginized" status. A sad news for us, but he won his case. In other cultures, you will hear lots of other stories of women being denounced and killed due to the new husband's anger on the discovery of an "unbled wedding night".
The society, the Philippines in particular is claiming to be in a period of transition, wherein virginity before marriage, a somewhat "archaic concern" is no longer being given that much of a fuss not like in the old times where it would create a tremendous scandal for the "damaged" unmarried woman. Globalization is bringing to us new morality and intellectual liberalization. Cohabitation out of wedlock and premarital sex are no longer foreign as they are usually and mostly regarded now with a shrug and sometimes just a very few raised eyebrows and murmurings.
But the almost three centuries of western colonization which institutionalized virginity within the context of religiosity due to the friars' influences is deeply embedded in the Filipino collective consciousness particularly within the Filipina psyche. This is so hard to uproot. Before the marriage bed, a Filipina is supposed to be as pure as the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ, who actually did not remain a virgin upon giving birth to Jesus Christ and to his siblings. Mothers reared daughters with strong admonition on taking care of their virginity which is to be given to only one man, their husbands, for it is what they (husbands) desire.
Although marriage is now being considered a free choice and no longer a strict requirement for social acceptance (as a new definition for "mag-asawa" which supposedly means "married couple" is now being applied to unmarried couples such that a boyfriend is also called "asawa" or husband), man & women alike would still want the "first". The aphorism "Happy is the man who is the first love of a woman" implies that the woman's virginity is a prized trophy as the pride & happiness of the man.
There is a consensus among contemporaries that virginity matters. Given, ceteris paribus, they (men) would still prefer the "untouched" one for matrimony. The above, followed by the saying "Luckier is the woman who is the last love of a man" implying the sexual escapades before marriage and even within wedlock, which are considered as natural for men to prove their virility, indeed reflects the unfair double standard morality in committed relationships. Generally, this practice of freedom is deemed inappropriate for women. "Panlalaki" which means "sexual escapades with men" would render them "wasted".
Reference: Azurin, A. M. (1993). Reinventing the Filipino. CSSP Publications.
It is also moral taboos which mystified virginity rendering the overvaluation of the hymen, that small film of membrane at the external part of the human female genital which partially, or in rare cases (of imperforate hymen) totally covers the orifice. Although seemingly biologically insignificant, there is an ongoing fuss over this literal part of the woman's body among the mothers and daughters as well as among the men and teenagers, religious or not, singles & couples alike.
The hymen is known to have no significant anatomical functions for women as per medical science, except for the protection of the internal reproductive organ from possible infections for young girls. It becomes more elastic, simultaneous with physical growth as an implication of preparation to motherhood. However, societies across history & loci, even at present, made it morally and socially functional. These functions gather the myth, which is the widely held belief that the presence or absence of this leftover flesh defines the sexual experience or inexperience of a human female, and its repercussions.
For one, it becomes a measure of a woman's moral worth as it serves as a proof of maiden purity. This is believed to be a significant prerequisite of an honorable marriage. It draws the line between the married and the unmarried wherein the unmarried is expected to be virgin until the wedding night. If proven otherwise, the bride suffers the possible consequences like the husband's tacit or blatant rejection which in some cases are accompanied by physical & emotional abuse, societal condemnation & economic losses for the case of a dowry system. I have heard a story in 2008 about a groom in France who filed for an annulment upon discovering during the wedding night that his bride allegedly lied about her "devirginized" status. A sad news for us, but he won his case. In other cultures, you will hear lots of other stories of women being denounced and killed due to the new husband's anger on the discovery of an "unbled wedding night".
The society, the Philippines in particular is claiming to be in a period of transition, wherein virginity before marriage, a somewhat "archaic concern" is no longer being given that much of a fuss not like in the old times where it would create a tremendous scandal for the "damaged" unmarried woman. Globalization is bringing to us new morality and intellectual liberalization. Cohabitation out of wedlock and premarital sex are no longer foreign as they are usually and mostly regarded now with a shrug and sometimes just a very few raised eyebrows and murmurings.
But the almost three centuries of western colonization which institutionalized virginity within the context of religiosity due to the friars' influences is deeply embedded in the Filipino collective consciousness particularly within the Filipina psyche. This is so hard to uproot. Before the marriage bed, a Filipina is supposed to be as pure as the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ, who actually did not remain a virgin upon giving birth to Jesus Christ and to his siblings. Mothers reared daughters with strong admonition on taking care of their virginity which is to be given to only one man, their husbands, for it is what they (husbands) desire.
Although marriage is now being considered a free choice and no longer a strict requirement for social acceptance (as a new definition for "mag-asawa" which supposedly means "married couple" is now being applied to unmarried couples such that a boyfriend is also called "asawa" or husband), man & women alike would still want the "first". The aphorism "Happy is the man who is the first love of a woman" implies that the woman's virginity is a prized trophy as the pride & happiness of the man.
There is a consensus among contemporaries that virginity matters. Given, ceteris paribus, they (men) would still prefer the "untouched" one for matrimony. The above, followed by the saying "Luckier is the woman who is the last love of a man" implying the sexual escapades before marriage and even within wedlock, which are considered as natural for men to prove their virility, indeed reflects the unfair double standard morality in committed relationships. Generally, this practice of freedom is deemed inappropriate for women. "Panlalaki" which means "sexual escapades with men" would render them "wasted".
Reference: Azurin, A. M. (1993). Reinventing the Filipino. CSSP Publications.