The idea of virginity is an old one. Later it came to mean only sexual virginity and, ironically, to reflect the prevailing view of women as man's property. Remaining a virgin until she married guaranteed that a woman would uphold the family honor by passing from father to husband like unspoiled goods. Because there was no dependable birth control, it guaranteed also that babies would be born only to married couples. Many parents today are less concerned about preserving their daughters' actual virginity than they are about ensuring safer sex and determining how soon or with whom their daughters have intercourse.
Some parents respect and encourage a daughter's decisions about sex.
This can be confusing to young women who technically remain virgins, yet may have become as emotionally and physically involved as we would with intercourse. Meanwhile, there is a lot of pressure today from the media, from popular music, and from peers for young women to be sexually active. Some teens have responded to this pressure by forming a movement for abstinence with the emphasis on sex as a conscious choice. We may choose to abstain from intercourse or other sexual activities because of fear of a sexually transmitted disease or getting pregnant, our religious beliefs, our traditional upbringing, or simply not being ready. Moreover, we may choose abstinence because we are focused on developing other parts of ourselves, such as our creative, intellectual, or athletic skills.