You cracked the code, and you're absolutely right. In religious conservative cultures, like America, there is far too little frank talk about sex and far too much reliance on self-regulated behaviour. During #metoo I couldn't help but be surprised by how blindsided women were. Didn't anyone tell them? And what fathers didn't say, feminist morhers made worse by implying women "should" be safe in male spaces.
I hope your realization is shared by many women. I hope real sex education enters schools. And I hope far less women fall victim in the future.
Because men have known this all along.