that's definitely not the case in France - in terms of citizenship, we have very strong views on "liberte, egalite, fraternite" - equality between men and women is seen as paramount, and a foundation of French society, we have equal rights on every level, the right to education, the right to work, etc. and definitely no concept of systemic "submission" (interestingly though, i have seen that taught in the UK, in a church setting, disturbingly - my friend was told by her evangelical mother that she should never say "no" to a man - horrid)
from experience, the French women i know are pretty strong women, they teach their daughters to be in control of their bodies, for instance, many mums automatically put their teenage daughters on the pill as they know they're likely to have sex, but want to avoid unwanted pregnancies, instead of, say, being in denial about these things... so from an early age, girls are taught to be in control of their own bodies and feel empowered...
we have a history of awesome feminists, like Simone Veil, who fought for abortion in the 1970s, Olympe de Gouges who wrote the rights of citizenship for women after 1789 revolution (although was later executed!) - there is a history of strong feisty French women... strong women are celebrated in paintings, Delacroix's Liberty Guiding the People comes to mind, and Marianne, an icon from the French revolution, is the emblem of the French Republic... and of course we created the statue of liberty who is a woman! so it kind of feels like you're allowed and encouraged to be a strong woman in France...
as far as i can see it, unwelcome attention is brutally rebuffed - i think the French can be pretty blunt and upfront about these things, well, about everything really haha which is probably why other countries think we're rude maybe, and we're generally not afraid to speak our minds, and are encouraged to do so... philosophy, civic education, etc. are compulsory subjects in school up to the Bac (18 years) and kids have to debate and argue and discuss all kinds of issues... sex is seen as a fantastic thing, and love is valued highly - i remember when my daughter was younger, and suddenly got a boyfriend, and i was talking to a French friend, saying i was a bit worried as her exams were coming up and i was worried he would be a distraction, and, this is coming from a super strict mum, she said "noooo, it will do her good to be in love, she will be happy and feel complete and that will help her in her studies" - i'd never thought of it like that before, but found it really refreshing... i have fallen in love with this country and the people over the years, i love what it stands for - liberty (to be, to do, but not to hurt others), equality (in every way), and fraternity (socialism, universal healthcare, social protection, etc.)... really love discussing the differences in our cultures - i do appreciate seeing different angles on things...