The primary function of the terem was political, as it was intended to protect a woman’s value in the marriage market. As in Islamic and Near Eastern societies, the veiling and seclusion of women allowed for greater control over a woman’s marriage choices, which often had immense political and economic implications. The seclusion of women and the practice of arranged marriage were fairly common in medieval and early modern European history, though Russian women were restricted to a greater degree. Though Orthodox belief emphasized the importance of virginity, to a greater degree was virginity valued as a measure of a woman’s worth when establishing political and economic alliances through marriage. Mothers had a traditional role in negotiating these arranged marriages, one of the few ways in which female political power could be manifested under the institution of the terem. Orthodox beliefs regarding menstruation may have also been used to justify the seclusion of women. Ecclesiastical regulations forbade menstruating women from entering in church buildings and participating in other activities, further justifying the segregation of women who were “ritually unclean.”