If you see the stereotypical gender roles, men were responsible for bringing in money, women for nurturing the family and world runs on money. In addition, men in general have more physical power. Women could give birth and bring in new life.
And no matter what you do about it, I feel these two points and again enforce these points saying God wanted this, made a lot of difference... it did have a big impact on the way society was structured. when men had two out of the three things and books like manusmriti, it just made them feel more powerful.
For eg:In olden times a man felt threatened, he would cut his wife's supply of money, kill her or marry a new woman. Or if the daughter tried to go against the parents' wishes, force was used to keep her from doing what she wanted.. After centuries of suppression this was instilled within the genders saying one is weak and other is strong.
However, now, with women also working and educated, and a lot of men understanding and questioning things, I feel the balance is slowly(very very slowly) getting restored and we move towards a world where we live together in harmony. ❤