Speaking of France, the Napoleonic Code made women children in the eye of the law. This was a loss of the rights that they had gained in the French Revolution. Women did not have legal custody of their own children, were not allowed to inherit property or own their own money. This has been the case in many societies throughout time, including in the US. It’s oppression when women are systematically (as in the Napoleonic Code) denied access to the economy, education, or political power — or at least not to the same level as men.

I disagree with your historical analysis. Rape was not even considered a crime in many cases, therefore it wasn’t illegal. But on top of that, taking England as an example, women’s testimony wasn’t equal to men’s so proving that they were raped was even harder.

I also disagree with your characterization of patriarchy as “women and children first.” Patriarchy developed along with agriculture, a practice that allowed populations to explode and societies to become more complex. Land became wealth. As this happened, women became seen as wombs — it was necessary to have a lot of children to farm individual plots (as communities moved away from collectivization). Therefore, it was necessary for women to be content at home without children. This why you see a shift from matriarchies to patriarchies with the advent of agriculture. (Example: Iceland. Matrilineal. Not great for farming.)