I found the remarks to be so far off the beaten path that I was wondering if culture might be a factor here.

Some things that seem strange to me might make perfect sense to someone with a background sufficiently different from mine.

Some remote family member of mine for instance firmly believed (deceased) that women 'have their place', and with that he definitely didn't mean university.

I found that a pretty bizarre statement (even as a kid) but in light of his particular cultural background I find it easier to accept that that was his point of view.