@dander - I remember TFM back in the day would talk about the civilizational "life history cycle", that basically went: hard patriarchy (ancient middle east, Conan times, etc) > soft patriarchy (1950s USA) > matriarchy (welfare dependent ghettos, etc) >> hard patriarchy.

I wonder if these stories from India are a glimpse of the transition from matriarchy to hard patriarchy... I wouldn't be surprised to see rape figuring prominently in that process.