It is very interesting that you reference "woman" having specific meaning. It derives from "wife man," so the very word necessitates reference to "man" to have any meaning. I agree that words are weapons far more dangerous than any man has invented to this day. I recall a scene from "Conan the Barbarian" (1980s version) when James Earl Jone's character educated Arnold about the true meaning of power: "What is a sword compared to the hand that wields it?" and he commands one of his followers to jump to her death.

There is also a fascinating psychological experiment that used perception to control psychiatric patient population. Essentially, the staff cordoned-off an area of the cafeteria as being "reserved" for well-behaved patients. The patients earned tokens for good behavior that they then could exchange for a seat at the "reserved" section. Apparently, the experiment worked very well in patient behavioral control.

It a sense, the "society" that we live in are just collection of unchallenged assumptions. Our unconscious agreements make our reality possible; undermine the assumptions in symbols and tradition, then the entire edifice of society crumbles.