It’s certainly hyperbolic but lack of autonomy and complete financial dependence were pretty par for the course for women back in the day.

My grandma slowly squirreled away money in a shoe box over decades as she had no personal bank account and lived on what my grandpa provided while she took care of seven kids. She saw it as her lifeline. Meanwhile he got drunk every night at the yacht club.

When the last of the kids were nearing college she spent that money on classes for clerical work and got a job.

I could not possibly imagine being in her shoes and I can imagine why a woman would be loathe to enter into such dependence on another person, regardless of how fulfilling child rearing and house keeping may be.

And the further you go back from there the worse it looks for women.

What about when they’re 9 years old?

or men, for that matter. no reason it has to be the woman to stay home and support the family.

I think more people will find disgusting walking over all the abuse women had to endure you did here.

earlier wife beating was „normal thing” leaving abusive partners was not possible or much harder than nowadays.

Then in a lot of places in the world it still is like that.

[dead]