Men tend to be led by the sex drive and the other drives that stem from large amounts of testosterone........but they are also far more disposable, and also more emotionally needy/less emotionally self contained than women. A lone male is always a sad sight. A man with access to, and control of, females feels more secure...and his staus with other males rises.
Something I've been increasingly aware of is that on some level men seem to have a kind of herding instinct.....I'm always seeing men guiding their wives and girlfriends (with their hand behind their back......sort of shepherding them). 'Herding' them out of the way if there is a passer-by on the pavement, for example........My husband is always doing this with me, too.......so I've taken to noticing other men doing it with their partners/families.
I jokingly mentioned this observation to a couple i passed by last week - after I had seen him displaying this herding behaviour with her. He immediately came back with an instinctive " It's the only control I have".
In many families it is defintely the woman that controls the details of the domestic life......and there is even that saying " Happy wife, happy life" - which is meant to act as practical masculine wisdom for a successful relationship with women. Do as you are told and defer to her wishes.
What i see happening in Afghanistan, and in other countries in which religion plays a central and determining role, is that the instinctive forces and the fear of instinctive forces are ruling over everyone. People are forced into strict gender roles with ever extreme policing.