Under a state health standard, all teachers applying for jobs are required to undergo physical examinations. For men, this means prostate exams only if they’re over 40 years old. For all women, this means invasive gynecological exams or proof of virginity.
Women are being forced to undergo virginity tests when seeking education jobs in Brazil's most populous state of Sao Paulo.
Prospective education employees in the state are required to undergo a pap smear to prove they are free of cancers or to present a doctor's certificate verifying they are not sexually active.
Women's rights campaign groups have denounced the practice as a gross violation of women's privacy and their human dignity.
Until recently the education department also required women to have a colposcopy, a type of gynecological examination used to detect disease.
The department since at least 2012 has required the exams to show that candidates for long-term teaching positions are in good health and would not take extended or frequent absences to attend to health matters.
'The health inspections are intended to ensure, beyond technical ability, the physical and mental ability of candidates to keep their jobs for an average of 25 years.'
The São Paulo department of education’s standards for women are blatantly sexist and unconstitutional.
Under a state health standard, all teachers applying for jobs are required to undergo physical examinations. For men, this means prostate exams only if they’re over 40 years old. For all women, this means invasive gynecological exams or proof of virginity.
Keeping women healthy and up-to-date on their reproductive health is great. Preventing them from getting a job because they have cancer or HPV is not.
These guidelines are also flawed because virginity does not necessarily mean a clean bill of health. Women who have never been sexually active can still develop reproductive cancers. So are these tests about a woman’s health or are they about a woman’s sexual choices?
SOURCES: Daily Mail, www.addictinginfo.org
Women must prove virginity or get pap smears in order to teach in Brazil
Under a state health standard, all teachers applying for jobs are required to undergo physical examinations. For men, this means prostate exams only if they’re over 40 years old. For all women, this means invasive gynecological exams or proof of virginity.
Women are being forced to undergo virginity tests when seeking education jobs in Brazil's most populous state of Sao Paulo.
Prospective education employees in the state are required to undergo a pap smear to prove they are free of cancers or to present a doctor's certificate verifying they are not sexually active.
Women's rights campaign groups have denounced the practice as a gross violation of women's privacy and their human dignity.
Until recently the education department also required women to have a colposcopy, a type of gynecological examination used to detect disease.
The department since at least 2012 has required the exams to show that candidates for long-term teaching positions are in good health and would not take extended or frequent absences to attend to health matters.
'The health inspections are intended to ensure, beyond technical ability, the physical and mental ability of candidates to keep their jobs for an average of 25 years.'
The São Paulo department of education’s standards for women are blatantly sexist and unconstitutional.
Under a state health standard, all teachers applying for jobs are required to undergo physical examinations. For men, this means prostate exams only if they’re over 40 years old. For all women, this means invasive gynecological exams or proof of virginity.
Keeping women healthy and up-to-date on their reproductive health is great. Preventing them from getting a job because they have cancer or HPV is not.
These guidelines are also flawed because virginity does not necessarily mean a clean bill of health. Women who have never been sexually active can still develop reproductive cancers. So are these tests about a woman’s health or are they about a woman’s sexual choices?
SOURCES: Daily Mail, www.addictinginfo.org
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