Want to Teach in Brazil? Then Be Prepared to Prove Your Virginity
We may hate it, but we’re pretty accustomed to having to take certain tests to qualify for the job that we want. Typing test? Of course! Drug test? No problem. Physical? Okay. Background check? Well, a little intense, but we understand. What about providing medical proof of your virginity? Yeah, we kind of figured that was several steps too far — and so do women’s activists in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Brazilian Health Ministry wants government employees and public servants to be in good health. So, a battery of tests are given to all prospective new hires, to ensure that they can stay working in their position for an average of 25 years. That by itself seems rather illogical. People get sick, even those who were once healthy at the time they were hired. And even people who get sick deserve to have jobs. Women seeking jobs in education are also required to have a pap smear to show they are free from HPV (which can cause various cancers) and provide a note from their doctor attesting that they are not sexually active. Something doesn’t quite add up here.
While sexual activity does put women at risk of certain related medical conditions — like STIs and, you know, pregnancy, it doesn’t make someone overall unhealthy or preclude them from being able to do their jobs. And considering there isn’t an equivalent requirement for male candidates (we’d be pretty fascinated if there were), it seems absurd, and frankly, sexist.
"It violates women's rights. It's very intimate information that she has the right to keep. It's absurd to continue with these demands," Ana Paula de Oliveira Castro, a public defender of women's issues in Sao Paulo told the Associated Press.
It seems like officials haven’t learned from Bahia, in northeastern Brazil, where news came out that women applying for police jobs had to prove that they had intact hymens. These tests were ultimately eliminated, but seem to stem from the same mentality about women’s health.
While it makes sense to want employees to be healthy, there’s also certain information that is none of your boss’s business. What’s more, are female teachers expected to stay virgins forever, in case they switch jobs? It seems a little like this practice is less about keeping women healthy (or protecting employers) as much as it’s about keeping them out of work altogether. Because, really, having to go through such humiliating procedures, and lifestyle dictates just to be considered, doesn’t seem worth it for any job. Many rational people would just as soon stay home. Maybe that’s exactly the point.
[Pic via Flickr - Teacher in Classroom]
