I raised my sons with some of the same traditional ideas sounds like your parents raised you with.

Be responsible , be independent, wait for marriage for sex, and that divorce is a course of last resort.

But real life gets in the way and the reality is sometimes things people don't choose happen. And human beings are weak and some times make choices that don't fit the mold. Rarely do true old squares fit in round holes of the greater society.

Before I got to "regionally proud" about how virtuous some local religious traditions are you need a little more observation to see just how often those are ideals many cheat on and just don't get caught on. Especially with the idea of being virginal. Where ever the punishments and taboos are harsher the lower the potential for being ignored, but that is often just being lied about.

One old African saying/tradition is "Many a virtue is bought with a high dowry or a knife and a needle."