Photo: Schalk van Zuydam / AP Photo.According to Agence France Presse, the municipality of Uthukela, in the southeastern area of South Africa, is offering student grants to women who agree to remain virgins throughout their studies. Jabulani Mkhonza, a spokesman for the municipality, told AFP that the money was for young girls who were still virgins and that the goal was to encourage “young girls to keep themselves pure and inactive from sexual activity and focus on their studies.”
The girls will be subject to virginity tests at the beginning of every school semester and when they come back from breaks. The grants will be rescinded if they are found to not be virgins.
Leaving aside the question of bodily autonomy and policing women’s sexuality, there is no way to actually confirm whether or not someone is a virgin. So-called “virginity tests” usually examine the hymen, a membrane inside the vagina, to see whether it has been ruptured or torn. However, there are both many ways for a woman to break her hymen — such as bicycle riding or exercise — and many ways for a hymen to be shaped, including a barely there fringe of tissue. According to The Independent, most of the factors looked at as proof of virginity are, in fact, myths.
Unfortunately, there may be little recourse for young women who want an education but don’t want to submit to an invasive test. Many students in South Africa cannot afford the education fees that come with a university education and must rely on grants. In 2015, a proposed tuition hike of 10-12% led to protests and demonstrations by low-income students who said that higher prices would prevent their education.
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