Count yourself lucky, Jerry. I was, too.
But in many families, women of great talent were kept from their deserved positions of power by men who felt threatened by them. Kept there by physical violence, or threats of violence...both against the women themselves, or the children who were treated as hostages.
This is a real heritage of oppression that we should acknowledge. Jerry...my esteemed friend...I think you are smart enough to "help it". I was raised that way, too. But that doesn't let us off the hook.