Tocqueville notes that the English don't mean the things they say.
http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/13333/76.html#gsc.tab=0
The synthesis finally hit me: you're not supposed to listen to the words, only the vibe. It's emotionally or directionally true, and the specific denotations don't matter.
A woman having initiative is often bad. She might interfere with what her man is trying to do. Many Y-chroms have experienced this with a woman 'tidying' a workspace. Likewise, since women are mainly supposed to be doing what the nearest man told them, they have little need for specific communication. A general portrayal of mood is plenty. She doesn't have to be a fluent speaker, only a fluent listener.
In other words, as of 1856, Englishmen were already Englishwomen. I expect it was mainly a deliberate attempt to suppress initiative. Further: the initial driver of fertility suppression was lack of men with which to seek impregnation.
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