I'm surprised that the first comments I read are not howls of outrage. I assume they appear en masse further up the thread.

Here's a variation on the theme. In every society, women even when oppressed also benefited from the efforts of men, at least according to class position. White, European and North American upper and middle class women were exceptionally privileged by world standards even in Jane Austen's time. Yes, they had limited options. Still not tilling the soil or dying in battle like most of the men in their own society, let alone poorer ones.

In the past 2 generations, western white women have gone from arguably 2nd most privileged large group to contend for 1st- all the career options plus the option of not; seeming pretty close to full pay equity if they actually do the same job for the same hours with the same creds, etc;