[avdicius]

> but some of these cultural factors I think were pre existing and also help facilitate the pattern..

I would agree with this. Here is a Soviet cartoon based on a Russian folk fairy tale about smart and mighty wife rescuing her husband from king's prison:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnysHoprhsQ

Here is another version of this fairy tale:

http://www.eliterarysociety.com/tag/stavr-godinovich/