It made them more important and independent people in society. This was good for them because they needed to act on their own while their husbands and sons were off fighting in a war.
From a sociological perspective bullying can be linked to certain characteristics in a student that makes it more likely for someone to pick on them. Among those listed are wearing glasses, being less popular, being under or overweight, coming from a dysfunctional family, or others. Hope this helps!