[Harmless Teddy Bear]

You are correct that most gentlewomen/ladies did remain virgins. Knowing that if you trespassed you would be considered ruined and tossed out of the family home, often to die, has a wonderful tendency to keep your feet on the straight and narrow.

I am not advocating people do the same now but a negative consequence does work to make people stop and think before they do something.

[A_perfect_lady]

Yeah. All I’m saying is, it CAN be done. (Getting through life without having children you can’t feed, that is.) Especially in this day and age.