71-900: Virgin Holidays Limited , trading as Virgin Atlantic Holidays , is a company within the Virgin Group that offers holidays worldwide with destinations including the US and Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean and the Far East. In addition, the company has an established ski program and a specialist cruise division called "Virgin Holidays Cruises". The company was formed in 1985,
142-421: A bride's virginity before her marriage. This has traditionally been tested by inspection for an "intact" hymen , or by a "proof of blood", which refers to vaginal bleeding wrongly believed to be caused by the tearing of the hymen after the first sanctioned sexual contact. Coerced medical virginity tests are practiced in many regions of the world, but are today condemned as a form of abuse of women. According to
213-620: A complex structure that contains elements of a generic conglomerate and a keiretsu , and sometimes it simply licences its brand. Examples of licensing are Virgin Records and Virgin Media , which are owned by Universal Music Group and Liberty Global respectively. In mid-May 2013, the Virgin Group expressed its intention to seek out opportunities in Australia's healthcare industry to consolidate on
284-645: A factor in encouraging both girls and boys to have sex. Some studies suggest that people commence sexual activity at an earlier age than previous generations. The 2005 Durex Global sex survey found that people worldwide are having sex for the first time at an average age of 17.3, ranging from 15.6 in Iceland to 19.8 in India (though evidence has shown that the average age is not a good indicator of sexual initiation, and that percentages of sexually initiated youth at each age are preferred). A 2008 survey of UK teenagers between
355-425: A female is commonly considered within many cultures to be an important personal milestone. Its significance is reflected in expressions such as "saving oneself", "losing one's virginity," "taking someone's virginity" and sometimes as "deflowering". The occasion is at times seen as the end of innocence, integrity, or purity, and the sexualization of the individual. Traditionally, there was a cultural expectation that
426-533: A female referent. Unlike English, German also has a specific word for a male virgin Jüngling (Youngling) . It is, however, dated and rarely used. Jungfrau , with some masculine modifier, is more typical, as evidenced by the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin , about a 40-year-old male virgin, titled in German, Jungfrau (40), männlich, sucht… . German also distinguishes between young women and girls , who are denoted by
497-416: A female would not engage in premarital sex and would come to her wedding a virgin and that she would "give up" her virginity to her new husband in the act of consummation of the marriage. Feminine sexual practices have revolved around the idea of females waiting to have sex until they are married. Some females who have been previously sexually active (or their hymen has been otherwise damaged) may undergo
568-529: A measurable change during first experience of vaginal intercourse. Some medical procedures occasionally may require a woman's hymen to be opened ( hymenotomy ). Historically, and in modern times, female virginity has been regarded as more significant than male virginity; the perception that sexual prowess is fundamental to masculinity has lowered the expectation of male virginity without lowering social status. For example, in Mataram , Indonesia , where around 80% of
639-433: A range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern and ethical concepts. Religious rituals for regaining virginity exist in many cultures. Some men and women consider themselves born-again virgins . There are cultural and religious traditions that place special value and significance on this state, predominantly towards unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor , and worth. Like chastity ,
710-446: A skydiving "virgin". In the latter usage, virgin means uninitiated, as in the much older virgin knight . "Virgin" is also used as an adjective in terms like virgin field . The concept of virginity has significance only in a particular social, cultural or moral context. According to Hanne Blank , "virginity reflects no known biological imperative and grants no demonstrable evolutionary advantage." Medieval bestiaries stated that
781-435: A study by researcher and author Laura M. Carpenter, many men and women discussed how they felt virginity could not be taken through rape. They described losing their virginities in one of three ways: "as a gift, stigma or part of the process." Carpenter states that despite perceptions of what determines virginity loss being as varied among gay men and lesbians as they are among heterosexuals, and in some cases more varied among
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#1732852365634852-473: A study released in 2008 by the Guttmacher Institute , author of the findings Laura Lindberg stated that there "is a widespread belief that teens engage in nonvaginal forms of sex, especially oral sex, as a way to be sexually active while still claiming that technically, they are virgins", but that her study drew the conclusion that "research shows that this supposed substitution of oral sex for vaginal sex
923-510: A surgical procedure, called hymenorrhaphy or hymenoplasty, to repair or replace her hymen, and cause vaginal bleeding on the next intercourse as proof of virginity ( see below ). In some cultures, an unmarried female who is found not to be a virgin, whether by choice or as a result of a rape , can be subject to shame, ostracism or even an honor killing . In those cultures, female virginity is closely interwoven with personal or even family honor, especially those known as shame societies , in which
994-833: A temporary move whilst the Galleria was refurbished it was later announced that Virgin Holidays would move into a newly built building, the Leonardo Building, with Virgin Atlantic. In November 2019, Virgin Holidays established Orville Richard Burrell ( Shaggy ) as their Chief Caribbean Officer. Virgin Holidays Cruises is a company owned by Virgin Group and is part of Virgin Holidays, headquartered in Crawley . The company specialises in package deals with cruises provided by other cruise lines. The company
1065-482: A virgin complex directed towards oneself. There are varying understandings as to which types of sexual activities result in loss of virginity. The traditional view is that virginity is only lost through vaginal penetration by the penis, consensual or non-consensual, and that acts of oral sex , anal sex , manual sex or other forms of non-penetrative sex do not result in loss of virginity. A person who engages in such acts without having engaged in vaginal intercourse
1136-444: A virginity pledge, and deduced that there was substitution of oral and anal sex for vaginal sex among the pledgers. However, the data for anal sex without vaginal sex reported by males did not reflect this directly. Early loss of virginity has been shown to be linked to factors such as level of education, independence, biological factors like age and gender, and social factors such as parental supervision or religious affiliation, with
1207-802: A year after the successful launch of Virgin Atlantic in June 1984. Initially selling seats on Virgin Atlantic routes to New York City , Miami and Orlando the company has grown to become one of the largest and most successful long-haul scheduled tour operators in the UK. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, it was announced on 5 May 2020 that Virgin Holidays would be rebranded as Virgin Atlantic Holidays. The full rebrand took place in 2022. Virgin Holidays' headquarters are in Crawley, England. Seven other offices are located in Canada and
1278-422: Is a virgin, and a man cannot divorce her on grounds that she was not. Hymenorraphy is considered a form of cosmetic surgery, and is not generally accepted, taught, or regulated by the medical profession. There is a common belief that some women are born without a hymen, but some doubt has been cast on this by a recent study. It is likely that almost all women are born with a hymen, but most will not experience
1349-413: Is also applied to men, in both cases specifically denoting absence of sexual experience. When used of men, it does not carry a strong association of "never-married" status. However, in reference to women, historically, it was sometimes used to refer to an engaged woman— parthenos autou (παρθένος αὐτού, his virgin) = his fiancée as opposed to gunē autou (γυνή αὐτού, his woman) = his wife. This distinction
1420-616: Is at later ages than that of women, but is often extra-marital. This group included sub-Saharan Africa (the study listed Mali, Senegal and Ethiopia). The study considered the Indian subcontinent to also fall into this group, although data was only available from Nepal. In the second group, the data indicated families encouraged daughters to delay marriage, and to abstain from sexual activity before that time. However, sons are encouraged to gain experience with older women or prostitutes before marriage. Age of men at sexual initiation in these societies
1491-516: Is at lower ages than that of women. This group includes Latin cultures, both from southern Europe (Portugal, Greece and Romania are noted) and from Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and the Dominican Republic). The study considered many Asian societies to also fall into this group, although matching data was only available from Thailand. In the third group, age of men and women at sexual initiation
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#17328523656341562-468: Is found in a Middle English manuscript held at Trinity College, Cambridge of about 1200: Ðar haueð ... martirs, and confessors, and uirgines maked faier bode inne to women. In this, and many later contexts, the reference is specifically Christian, alluding to members of the Ordo Virginum (Order of Virgins), which applies to the consecrated virgins known to have existed since the early church from
1633-505: Is illegal, and physicians are encouraged to instead provide education, guidance, social support, and where needed, physical protection. Such virginity-testing bans have been controversial; while there is a consensus that virginity cannot be scientifically and medically certified, some physicians argue that certificates, while intrinsically dishonest, protect vulnerable women from potentially life-threatening danger. Some women undergo hymenorrhaphy (or hymenoplasty) to reshape their hymens with
1704-786: Is largely a myth". A 2003 study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality focusing on definitions of "having sex" and noting studies concerning university students from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia reported that "[w]hile the vast majority of respondents (more than 97%) in these three studies included penile-vaginal intercourse in their definition of sex, fewer (between 70% and 90%) respondents considered penile-anal intercourse to constitute having sex" and that "oral-genital behaviours were defined as sex by between 32% and 58% of respondents". A different study by
1775-459: Is listed as 1989 by Companies House , who class it as a holding company ; however, Virgin's business and trading activities date back to the 1970s. The net worth of Virgin Group was estimated at £3 billion as of early 2023. The name "Virgin" arose in 1970 when Richard Branson and Nik Powell formed a record shop , first as mail order and in 1971 with a physical store. They considered themselves virgins in business. Branson has described
1846-586: Is lost." The concept of "technical virginity" or sexual abstinence through oral sex is popular among teenagers. For example, oral sex is common among adolescent girls who fellate their boyfriends not only to preserve their virginity, but also to create and maintain intimacy or to avoid pregnancy. In a 1999 study published in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association ), the definition of "sex"
1917-603: Is necessary due to there being no specific word for wife (or husband) in Greek. By extension from its primary sense, the idea that a virgin has a sexual "blank slate", unchanged by any past intimate connection or experience, can imply that the person is of unadulterated purity. The English sense is not retricted to youth or females; older women can be virgins ( the Virgin Queen ), men can be virgins, and potential initiates into many fields can be colloquially termed virgins ; for example,
1988-445: Is often regarded among heterosexuals and researchers as "technically a virgin". By contrast, gay or lesbian individuals often describe such acts as resulting in loss of virginity. Some gay males regard penile-anal penetration as resulting in loss of virginity, but not fellatio , handjobs or other types of non-penetrative sex, while lesbians may regard cunnilingus or fingering as virginity loss. Some lesbians who debate
2059-470: Is regarded as a valuable commodity in some cultures. In the past, within most societies a woman's options for marriage were largely dependent upon her status as a virgin. Those women who were not virgins experienced a dramatic decrease in opportunities for a socially advantageous marriage, and in some instances the premarital loss of virginity eliminated their chances of marriage entirely. Modern virginity auctions , like that of Natalie Dylan , are discussed in
2130-744: The Guttmacher Institute showed that in the countries surveyed, most men have experienced sexual intercourse by their 20th birthdays. Male sexuality is seen as something that is innate and competitive and displays a different set of cultural values and stigmas from female sexuality and virginity. In one study, scholars Wenger and Berger found that male virginity is understood to be real by society, but it has been ignored by sociological studies. Within British and American culture in particular, male virginity has been made an object of embarrassment and ridicule in films such as Summer of '42 , American Pie , The Inbetweeners Movie and The 40-Year-Old Virgin , with
2201-647: The United States . In September 2008 Virgin Holidays launched a partnership with Herbert Ypma's HIP Hotels to create Virgin Holidays + HIP Hotels, a bespoke tour operator providing holidays to luxury and boutique hotels around the world. This partnership has now ended and HIP Hotels has since been acquired by a private equity firm. On 18 December 2008 Virgin Holidays acquired the assets and brand name of Travel City Direct from XL Leisure Group , which collapsed in September 2008. Travel City Direct has now been merged into
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2272-544: The World Health Organization (WHO): " Sexual violence encompasses a wide range of acts including (...) violent acts against the sexual integrity of women, including female genital mutilation and obligatory inspections for virginity ". Although it is not actually possible to determine virginity by inspection, some doctors feel socially pressured into performing " virginity testing " inspections and providing "certificates of virginity". In some jurisdictions, this
2343-558: The root form of Latin virgo , genitive virginis , meaning literally "maiden" or " virgin " The words virgino (“female virgin”) and virgulo (literally "virgin person" but often used for a male virgin) are hyponyms . The Latin word likely arose by analogy with a suit of lexemes based on vireo , meaning "to be green, fresh or flourishing", mostly with botanic reference—in particular, virga meaning "strip of wood". The first known use of virgin in English
2414-461: The "Foodpreneur" food and drink focused start-up competition. Winners received mentorship from Branson, legal support, and brand counseling. The 2014 winners included Proper Beans, Killer Tomato, Sweetpea Pantry, and Sweet Virtues. In 2015, winners were given the opportunity to pitch Target Corporation buyers in the US. The 2015 winners included Pip & Nut, Double Dutch Drinks, Harry Bromptons, Cauli Rice, and Mallow and Marsh. Only one start-up
2485-452: The "V" in the logo as an expressive tick , representing the Virgin seal of approval. The original logo from 1973 was a completely different design intended to be used for the record company that was founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell . The logo was designed by British science-fiction artist and designer Roger Dean . According to Richard Branson in interviews and on the Virgin website,
2556-524: The 2013 documentary How to Lose Your Virginity . The Bible required a man who had sex with a virgin to pay her bride price to her father and marry the girl. In some countries, until the late 20th century, a woman could sue a man who had taken her virginity but did not marry her. In some languages, the compensation for these damages are called " wreath money ". Despite common cultural beliefs, links between hymen state and vaginal penetration are not clear-cut. Inserting objects (including penises) into
2627-579: The Group's Australian fitness centres. The Group also runs over 100 National Health Service (NHS) services in the United Kingdom and the healthcare division of medical services group Assura after entering the British healthcare industry in 2011. Virgin Group announced the establishment of Virgin Voyages on 4 December 2014 with financial backing from Bain Capital . The cruise line would be led by CEO Tom McAlpin , would have two new large ships built and be based in
2698-567: The Kinsey Institute sampled 484 people, ranging in ages 18–96. "Nearly 95 percent of people in the study agreed that penile-vaginal intercourse meant 'had sex.' But the numbers changed as the questions got more specific." 11 percent of respondents based "had sex" on whether the man had achieved an orgasm , concluding that absence of an orgasm does not constitute "having had" sex. "About 80 percent of respondents said penile-anal intercourse meant 'had sex.' About 70 percent of people believed oral sex
2769-576: The Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. Virgin StartUp is the Virgin Group's non-profit company, helping entrepreneurs across the UK to start, fund and scale their business. In 2013, Sir Richard visited Boxpark in Shoreditch, London, to launch the new organisation, revealing that he wanted to support anyone that had the same dreams and ambitions that he did as a young boy: “It was £300 from my mum that sparked
2840-547: The United States, approximately 25% of 15-year-olds and 50% of 17-year-olds have had sex. A 2002 international survey sought to study the sexual behavior of teenagers . 33,943 students aged 15, from 24 countries, completed a self-administered, anonymous, classroom survey, consisting of a standard questionnaire, developed by the HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) international research network. The survey revealed that
2911-560: The Virgin Holidays brand. Nearly a year later, on 15 December 2009, Virgin Holidays announced that it had bought the small independent tour operator, Bales Worldwide. Virgin Holidays has a network of retail concessions throughout the UK in Next . These are supplemented by several standalone shops. In 2015 Virgin Holidays left their long standing home at The Galleria and moved to Aeronautics House close to Virgin Atlantic. Initially announced as
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2982-476: The Virgin adventure 40 years ago. Today, young people need that same help and I believe Virgin StartUp will provide it – with access to early capital, strong mentorship, advice and promotion.” The organisation became a delivery partner for the UK Government's Start Up Loans Company, providing loan finance of between £500 and £25,000, advice, and mentoring to thousands of start-ups across the country. In 2016, it
3053-590: The concept of virginity has traditionally involved sexual abstinence . The concept of virginity usually involves moral or religious issues and can have consequences in terms of social status and in interpersonal relationships . Although virginity has social implications and had significant legal implications in some societies in the past, it has no legal consequences in most societies today. The social implications of virginity still remain in many societies and can have varying effects on an individual's social agency. The word virgin comes via Old French virgine from
3124-409: The concept of virginity is also dubious because of the many individual definitions of virginity loss, and that valuing virginity has placed a woman's morality "between her legs." She critiques the notion that sexual activity has any influence on morality or ethics. The urge of wanting one's spouse or partner to have never engaged in sexual activities is called a virgin complex . A person may also have
3195-879: The country. The NHS bodies settled out of court with a £328,000 payout to Virgin Care, resulting in some controversy. More than 100,000 people backed a petition calling on the company to stop "dragging the NHS through the courts". Virginity Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse ; it is considered a social construct , not an objective term with an operational definition . Social definitions of virginity therefore vary. Heterosexual individuals may or may not consider loss of virginity to occur only through penile-vaginal penetration, while people of other sexual orientations often include oral sex , anal sex , or manual sex in their definitions of losing one's virginity. The term virgin encompasses
3266-574: The eighteen definitions of virgin from the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary ( OED1 , pages 230–232). Most of the OED1 definitions, however, are similar. The German word for "virgin" is Jungfrau . Jungfrau literally means "young woman", but is not used in this sense anymore. Instead junge Frau can be used. Jungfrau is the word reserved specifically for sexual inexperience. As Frau means "woman", it suggests
3337-439: The former, that the matter has been described to her as people viewing sexual acts relating to virginity loss as "acts that correspond to your sexual orientation," which suggests the following: "So if you're a gay male, you're supposed to have anal sex because that's what gay men do. And if you're a gay woman, then you're supposed to have oral sex, because that's what gay women do. And so those become, like markers, for when virginity
3408-892: The head offices for other Virgin Group owned companies, such as Virgin Red, Virgin Unite, Virgin StartUp, Virgin Limited Edition & Big Change. Previously, the Virgin Group were based at the Porchester Building in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , The Battleship Building in Paddington , a district of the City of Westminster and at The School House in Brook Green , in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . The Virgin Group of companies have
3479-421: The hymen. Hymens rarely completely cover the vagina , hymens naturally have irregularities in width, and hymens can heal spontaneously without scarring. Visible breaks in the hymen, including complete hymenal clefts, are also common in girls and women who have never been sexually active. Medical professionals therefore recommend against describing hymens as "intact" or "broken". Some cultures require proof of
3550-495: The intent of causing vaginal bleeding on the next intercourse. Hymenorraphy is based on the false belief that all women bleed when first having vaginal intercourse; in fact, only about half bleed. In some cultures, the nuptial blood-spotted bed sheet would be displayed as proof of both consummation of marriage and that the bride had been a virgin. Hymens have few blood vessels and may not bleed significantly even when torn, and vaginal walls may bleed significantly when torn. Blood on
3621-407: The loss of virginity before marriage is a matter of deep shame. In some parts of Africa, the myth that sex with a virgin can cure HIV/AIDS continues to prevail, leading to girls and women being raped. In other societies, such as many modern-day Western cultures, lack of sexual abstinence before marriage is not as socially stigmatized as it may be in the formerly mentioned cultures. Virginity
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#17328523656343692-524: The majority of the students were still virgins (they had no experience of sexual intercourse), and, among those who were sexually active, the majority (82%) used contraception. In a 2005 Kaiser Family Foundation study of US teenagers, 29% of teens reported feeling pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually active teens reported "being in a relationship where they felt things were moving too fast sexually", and 24% had "done something sexual they didn't really want to do". Several polls have indicated peer pressure as
3763-426: The male virgin typically being presented as socially inept. Such attitudes have resulted in some men keeping their status as a virgin a secret. The prevalence of virginity varies from culture to culture. In cultures which place importance on a female's virginity at marriage, the age at which virginity is lost is in effect determined by the age at which marriages would normally take place in those cultures, as well as
3834-589: The minimum marriage age set by the laws of the country where the marriage takes place. In a cross-cultural study, At what age do women and men have their first sexual intercourse? (2003), Michael Bozon of the French Institut national d'études démographiques found that contemporary cultures fall into three broad categories. In the first group, the data indicated families arranging marriage for daughters as close to puberty as possible with significantly older men. Age of men at sexual initiation in these societies
3905-698: The more recent signature logo, introduced in 1978, was based on one that designer Ray Kyte scribbled on a napkin after a design meeting. Virgin Group has its headquarters in Whitfield Studios in Soho , a district of the City of Westminster . The group moved to this location in November 2024, the space is renowned for its music history as a creative hub for musical legends such as the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Spice Girls & Amy Winehouse. Whitfield Studios also houses
3976-813: The most common being sociodemographic variables. Along with this, sexual abuse has also been shown to have a link to later risky sexual behaviors and a younger age of voluntary sexual intercourse. Sexual initiation at an earlier age has been associated with: less frequency of condom use, less satisfaction and more frequency of non-autonomous reasons for that first sexual encounter. Adverse effects for losing virginity at an early age include lower chance of economic stability, lower level of education, social isolation, marital disruption and greater medical consequences. These medical consequences consist of an increase in STDs, cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, fertility and unwanted pregnancies. The first act of sexual intercourse by
4047-640: The only way to capture or tame a unicorn was by way of using a virgin as a lure, due to her implied purity. The topic is popular in Renaissance paintings. Although virginity has historically been correlated with purity and worth, many feminist scholars believe that virginity itself is a myth. They argue that no standardized medical definition of virginity exists, that there is no scientifically verifiable proof of virginity loss, and that sexual intercourse results in no change in personality. Jessica Valenti , feminist writer and author of The Purity Myth , reasons that
4118-586: The population are Muslims, unmarried women who are not virgins may be subject to name-calling, shunning , or family shame, while unmarried men who have lost their virginities are not, though premarital sex is forbidden in the Quran with regard to both men and women. Among various countries or cultures, males are expected or encouraged to want to engage in sexual activity, and to be more sexually experienced. Not following these standards often leads to teasing and other such ridicule from their male peers. A 2003 study by
4189-694: The profits from Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Rail Group , which was estimated to be $ 3bn over the next 10 years. At the time he said, "Our generation has inherited an incredibly beautiful world from our parents and they from their parents, it is in our hands whether our children and their children inherit the same world." Virgin Group Virgin Group is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970. Virgin Group's date of incorporation
4260-405: The sheets on first intercourse is more likely to be due to lacerations to the vaginal wall caused by inadequate vaginal lubrication or forced penetration. A small study found that of 19 women who underwent hymenorrhaphy, 17 did not have bleeding at the next intercourse. In Iran, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadeq Rohani has issued a fatwa which states that a women, after undergoing hymenorrhaphy,
4331-461: The traditional definition consider whether or not non-penile forms of vaginal penetration constitute virginity loss, while other gay men and lesbians assert that the term virginity is meaningless to them because of the prevalence of the traditional definition. Whether a person can lose their virginity through rape is also subject to debate, with the belief that virginity can only be lost through consensual sex being prevalent in some studies. In
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#17328523656344402-492: The vagina may or may not affect the hymen . The state of a hymen cannot be used to prove or disprove virginity . Penile penetration does not lead to predictable changes to female genital organs; after puberty, hymens are highly elastic and can stretch during penetration without trace of injury. Females with a confirmed history of sexual abuse involving genital penetration may have normal hymens. Young females who say they have had consensual sex mostly show no identifiable changes in
4473-611: The word Mädchen . The English cognate "maid" was often used to imply virginity, especially in poetry – e.g. Maid Marian , the love interest of the legendary outlaw Robin Hood in English folklore . German is not the only language to have a specific name for male virginity; in French, a male virgin is called a " puceau ". The Greek word for "virgin" is parthenos ( παρθένος , see Parthenon ). Although typically applied to women, like English, it
4544-526: The writings of the Church Fathers . By about 1300, the word was expanded to apply also to Mary , the mother of Jesus , hence to sexual virginity explicitly: Conceiud o þe hali gast, born o þe virgine marie. Further expansion of the word to include virtuous (or naïve) young women, irrespective of religious connection, occurred over about another century, until by about 1400 we find: Voide & vacand of vices as virgyns it ware. These are three of
4615-488: Was announced winner of the 2017 Foodpreneur prize, The Snaffling Pig Co ., who won a six-week rental space at Intu Lakeside, the retail center with the highest foot traffic in the U.K. The group's health business received significant media coverage over its legal battle with NHS groups. It sued clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Surrey after it lost out on an £82 million contract to provide children's health services across
4686-449: Was awarded European Regional Development Funding and subsequently launched Ready, Steady, Grow with Virgin StartUp, a programme of support aimed at start-ups that were ready to grow. A year later, it launched the UK's first equity-based crowdfunding accelerator programme, Crowdboost. By 2018, the organisation had supported over 11,000 UK-based entrepreneurs, with over £35m in pre-seed funding. In 2014, Branson and Virgin StartUp launched
4757-567: Was established in 2000 as Fast Track Holidays and was acquired by Virgin Holidays for an undisclosed sum in 2007. At the time of the Virgin takeover the company had 80 employees. The company name was officially changed to Virgin Holidays Cruises Limited on 15 June 2009. On 21 September 2006, Richard Branson announced that all profits the Virgin Group receives from Virgin Holidays would be ploughed into research and investment to develop sustainable sources of energy . He also committed
4828-489: Was examined based on a 1991 random sample of 599 college students from 29 US states; it found that 60% said oral-genital contact (like fellatio, cunnilingus) did not constitute having sex. Stephanie Sanders of the Kinsey Institute , co-author of the study, stated, "That's the 'technical virginity' thing that's going on." She and other researchers titled their findings "Would You Say You 'Had Sex' If ...?" By contrast, in
4899-459: Was lower, with both men and women involved in sexual activity before any union formation. The study listed Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic as members of this group. According to a 2001 UNICEF survey, in 10 out of 12 developed nations with available data, more than two thirds of young people have had sexual intercourse while still in their teens. In Australia, the United Kingdom and
4970-596: Was more closely matched. There were two sub-groups, however. In non-Latin, Catholic countries (Poland and Lithuania are mentioned), age at sexual initiation was higher, suggesting later marriage and reciprocal valuing of male and female virginity. The same pattern of late marriage and reciprocal valuing of virginity was reflected in Singapore and Sri Lanka. The study considered China and Vietnam to also fall into this group, although data were not available. Finally, in northern and eastern European countries, age at sexual initiation
5041-482: Was sex." Virginity pledges (or abstinence pledges) made by heterosexual teenagers and young adults may also include the practice of "technical virginity". In a peer-reviewed study by sociologists Peter Bearman and Hannah Brueckner, which looked at virginity pledgers five years after their pledge, they found that the pledgers have similar proportions of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and at least as high proportions of anal and oral sex as those who have not made
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