I'm generally skeptical of theories such as this - mostly because it attempts to externalize an issue.

When the crux of an argument involves pinning the blame on external factors, the onus for substantiation rises.

I would be interested in seeing actual gender roles in pre-colonial India vs. today (as opposed to a more idealistic and less accurate view of it we may have today).

FWIW, I'm Chinese and these hypotheses aren't new to us either. There are all kinds of theories that attempt to blame social ills on the period of Western dominance in China, but inevitably they are unsubstantiable and more driven by the need to blame someone for something.