Girlhood

Girlhood is the period in a woman’s life before her marriage . Sometimes it is used in the meaning of “the period in life before deprivation of virginity ” (the dominant moral requirement for a girl in all societies was and to a large extent remains her consent to sexual intercourse only after marriage ).

Dahl :

Girlhood cf. maiden condition, the life of a woman until her marriage , Virgin, virgin, sit in girls , Virgo is more than used. in value virgin.

Karl Bryullov Dream of a young girl before dawn, while outside the window a shepherd blows a horn

The question of the beginning of the girlhood period varied over time and depended on the recognized age at marriage. In ancient times and in the Middle Ages, a girl was considered suitable for marriage from the age of 12, although marriage was possible from seven years, but such a marriage still had to be confirmed at a later age (in different countries of Europe at 16 or 18 years old) ^[1] .

Girlhood played an important role in the development of women: during this period, the girl received the necessary education and skills for future family life, mastered housekeeping and often received the basics of sexual education. In the village, village gatherings , round dances and other forms of youth communication served as such education.

The stringency of the requirements for the girls of their parents and society as a whole to refrain from sex (and sometimes even from any contacts with men) has been very different and is currently different for different peoples and social strata.

Until the 20th century, the most stringent requirements were for girls from noble and wealthy families. In Europe, until the 20th century, a girl from such a family could often leave the house on the street only accompanied by a man - a servant or relative. In a number of countries in Asia and Africa, this situation remains at present. In Spain, the behavior of girls from noble families was controlled by duenches .

Village girls in Europe were freer to communicate with men than urban girls; women of the lower strata were freer than women of the upper strata.

Legislative restrictions often also applied to girls (girls): they could not be witnesses in court (this was done for them by a male relative or, in the absence of one, a female relative - mother, in extreme cases, a guardian), not to mention the availability of voting rights. Legislative restrictions for unmarried women in Europe and North America were lifted mainly only by the 30s (and in some countries only by the 50s) of the 20th century ^[1] .