Your analogy doesn't work as cancer is not the same as ideals and values going back centuries that differ from our own. And you just made a huge and pretty generalizing comment regarding history. How miserable women had it back then? Which ones? The Medieval or Ancient World? And what countries or realms? It would differ from place to place. I'm not trying to be rude, but when we study history, it is known that no one worth their salt would apply modern notions to people living centuries ago. Cancer is not the same as normative values. If you are raised as a child that you are to marry for the good of the family, and where your parents deem fit, as is the majority of everyone else, then there wouldn't be an issue. And furthermore it would explain why women (and men) would go and arrange matches for their offsprings as well. Furthermore, your comment dismisses what men went through as well. Their marriages were arranged, and was for duty, the same as women and they had to adapt. And yet, I don't see any suggestion from you that they suffered from Stockholm Syndrome? There are plenty of cases of young princes and princesses being married to one another with their parents deciding the match. And in some cases, love blossoms (yes real love and not stockholm syndrome). Your right that not everyone would have liked this arrangement, but that does not mean that the majority of women were suffering from stockholm syndrome. That's pretty dismissive and insulting if you ask me, especially since you have clear double standards.