Couple things. Firstly, there are many social understandings such are not social contracts. For example, rape is acknowledged in prison but is not officially, socially sanctioned. Same thing here. Secondly, this doesn't come from feminists bullshit. If you look at the time periods, what we consider today as outrageous today was common then. Things like the wheel and the rack were not rare. Hell, they had caged gags for women who talked shit too much. They used to lobotomize women for many behaviors not that long ago. Many types of social shunning condemned women to prostitution. So on and so on. The majority of women held the line to save each other from such a fate. Perhaps you need to adjust expectations of days of yesterday. Things were frequently ugly. Regardless of how ugly they were, many of these then norms existed for a reason. Ultimately, many of these existed to keep women in check with society. Successfully so. Which is why I now understand even if I don't endorse the methodology. Secondly, hiring someone to protect, feed, water you while in stocks was a thing. This not only included general assaults (thrown items or whipping or whatever) during the day hours, but molestation and rape at night. Which is why family was frequently used to avoid the expense.