Recurrent Features

In Thursday's class, we discussed the objection that some traditionalist Muslim families make to their daughters' ideas of going off to college or coed workplaces - namely, that they do not want their daughters to spend time around men.  One possible (and likely, I think) reason for this might be that they believe men are simply primitive, uncontrollable type creatures when in the presence of women.  This is essentially the same as one of the many justifications for mandatory veil-wearing.  I wonder if there was any particular event or societal tendency in ancient Middle Eastern (perhaps Bedouin) history to prompt such a view.  Does anyone have any ideas?