The Impact of Purity Culture on Women's Identity Development and Self-Worth
Open Access DepositedThis qualitative study explores the impact of purity culture on women’s identity development and self-worth. Grounded in feminist and intersectionality theory and guided by a constructivist epistemology, the study investigates how women from diverse racial, cultural, and sexual and gender identity backgrounds make meaning of their experiences within purity culture. Using a basic interpretive qualitative design, data were collected through 21 individual semi-structured interviews, two focus groups, and an optional reflective activity. Thematic analysis yielded three central themes
(1) The Weight of Purity Messaging, which examines how participants internalized messages linking moral value to sexual purity, particularly for women and girls
(2) Fragmented Identity and Self-Worth, which illustrates how purity culture disrupted participants’ sense of autonomy, embodied selfhood, and worthiness
and (3) Healing, Resistance, and Reclamation, which captures the processes through which participants sought to reclaim agency, reconnect with their values, and resist patriarchal and heteronormative ideologies. Findings illuminate the intersecting sociocultural forces that shape how purity culture is experienced and resisted, particularly among women of color and queer participants. Implications are offered for mental health practitioners, counselor educators, and policymakers, emphasizing the need for trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and critically reflexive approaches when working with individuals impacted by purity culture.
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DosSantos_gwu_0075A_17573.pdf | 2025-12-11 | Open Access |
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