I'm sorry but this amounts to victim-blaming and letting men off the hook at the same time.

You yourself say - " back in Laos, the system is set up so that it is nearly impossible for a woman to exist without men. Men lead everything, including the spiritual wellness of women."

Women are living in fear, they know they have nothing if they don't observe the patriarchy. Blaming women for not going against a system that they can't live without is both naïve & narrow in view.

I'm all for empowering women, but to say turning the patriarchy around "has to start with ourselves" is- wait for it - removing the responsibility from men and therefore, not much different from the women you're complaining about.