I think the parent meant something different. Men were "disposable" in the sense that they went to fight wars (whereas women were only killed when the wars were

I think the parent meant something different. Men were "disposable" in the sense that they went to fight wars (whereas women were only killed when the wars were lost, and even then many would just be raped/kidnapped, not killed). Women dying at childbirth had nothing to do with cultural norms, it was simply incurable (until recently). Statistics show that 60% of women reproduced, historically, as opposed to 40% of men. Now, it's possible that there's some artefact in the data, but the obvious explanation confirms parent's logic.