the male ego has been killing women for centuries
If you ask any of my friends about me, they’re likely to tell you I’ve recently fallen off the face of the earth. That’s because I have become absolutely obsessed with recreational research, and consequently absolutely appalled by my findings.
History has my whole heart, specifically the way human lifestyles have shifted with societal structure and location through the centuries. There is a motley array of obvious differences, yet I find myself most captivated by the one thing that never seems to change: medical practices surrounding women have been frugally developed, illogically sexist, and pathetically nonsensical throughout time.
An obvious and commonly discussed example that comes to mind is the practice of the “bedding ceremony” — AKA the practice of having a new bride’s marriage be publicly consummated in an effort to, you guessed it, prove her virginal status by checking for blood in between her legs. While the traditions surrounding this ceremony vary between cultures and time periods, they all carry the same sentiment that a woman’s fate depends entirely on confirmation that her hymen has been freshly broken.
The correlation between purity and fresh blood in this situation is not only ludicrous from a feminist perspective, but horrifically medically inaccurate; yet it has historically spanned across nearly every antipode.
As we should all know by now, the hymen’s absence rarely has anything to do with previous intercourse. Activities ranging from horseback riding to solo sexual exploration (which has been demonized among the female sex as well, but the oppressive concept of “self-rape” is a discussion for an entirely different vexed radical essay) can easily “pop the cherry” and the hymen has even been known to entirely dissolve for absolutely no reason.
At this point I ask that you consider why purity culture in itself is harmful, and then amplify that reasoning with the impact of false medical data being used to enable the subjugation of women.
These arbitrary virginity tests — which are still routinely performed in a number of places as I am writing this in 2025 — have been cited as legal reason for punishments such as the mandated annulment of marriages, the prohibition of the woman’s right to work, and outrageously, her murder. The encouragement of such consequences can be found in an abundance of religious texts.
“If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death,” – Deuteronomy 22:20-21
While there is still much work to be done in order to eradicate this corrupt practice from our planet, a majority of society has moved away from it and the truth is readily accessible to those in both medicine and law. Many of us now look at the concept of a virginity test as nothing short of ridiculous, yet for many years it was allowed to determine the fate of innocent women in a way that is reminiscent of witch hunts. Furthermore, this is just one example of an abhorrent list of similar ways that purity culture has directly overshadowed necessary medical logic; even childbirth has consistently faced interference from the patriarchy.
For example, in her impressive catalog of books exploring Tudor era England, esteemed historian and author Amy Licence teaches us that midwives helping women through labor would be verbally instructed by a male doctor who could do nothing more than stand across the room, for his physical touch would be deemed a sexual violation of the mother-to-be. The midwives were not particularly experienced, and the selection process for them was inherently futile.
“As unlicensed practitioners, midwives would have been chosen according to their appearance and reputation…” – In Bed With The Tudors
Unfortunately, aside from the knowledge of the doctor, the often illiterate midwives had only prayers and superstitions passed down to them by their own mothers. Licence goes on to share that it did not matter if you were a peasant or a member of the royal court. Regardless of your status, men trained in medicine could not physically intervene in your labor and potentially save your life.
A modern example of how the women’s health industry has been sabotaged by patriarchy is the discourse surrounding abortion. There is an alarming lack of research surrounding development in the womb, and attempts to learn more about women’s health as a whole during pregnancy are often blocked by funding or legal barriers. Worsening the situation, the concrete evidence we do have regarding a fetus’ status as either person or clump of cells is often blatantly ignored by those who choose to prioritize misogyny over facts.
The current gender bias in healthcare does not stop at abortion: spousal consent for feminine sterilization is still a requirement in many clinics, women’s health concerns are repeatedly dismissed as hysteria, funding remains sparse for the development of potential endometriosis cures.
Other significant feminist issues — wage gaps, pink tax, gender violence, lack of education — can feel tragically daunting to address in comparison to the fact that male-dominated culture still manages to play a role in our healthcare after centuries of experience that should have paved the way for our protection.
The fight for feminine health to be free of the male ego has dragged on since the beginning of time, causing women around the world to lose their lives not only from medical malpractice, but also in a societal sense — we have been repeatedly damned by our communities due to nonsensical claims surrounding our bodies.
If my new love for research has taught me anything, it’s that the old saying “history repeats itself” is incredibly true. There is a seemingly infinite array of evidence showing that our well-being has always been put at risk in favor of the war on women.
What we can do to break the cycle is advocate for ourselves, actively uplift our sisters, and be unapologetically loud about every issue we feel passion for. Through education and unity we are able to fight for a reality where we are addressed not as isolated female patients, but human beings.
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