It is not as though

[KLPNO]

Hello everyone,

Another word that comes to mind when I think of the people during the Elizabethan era is their view of women. It is not as though women were necessarily abused. In fact, men were punished heavily, perhaps more than they are in current court. However, it was a general understanding that women were meant to be child bearers and home makers.

Could the highlighted sentence be rephrased like "It does not mean women were necessarily abused", with the same meaning?

Thank you.

[Raymott]

Hello everyone,

Another word that comes to mind when I think of the people during the Elizabethan era is their view of women. It is not as though women were necessarily abused. In fact, men were punished heavily, perhaps more than they are in current court. However, it was a general understanding that women were meant to be child bearers and home makers.

Could the highlighted sentence be rephrased like "It does not mean women were necessarily abused", with the same meaning?

Thank you.

Yes, that's what it means.
There are other problems with the passage.
"their view of women" is not a "word".
The sentence about men is misplaced. It does not explain the preceding sentence about women. The fact that men were punished heavily has no bearing on whether women were abused. A sentence beginning with "In fact, ..." should modify the previous sentence:
"It's not as though John is a psychopath. In fact, he can be quite caring." Good.
* "It's not as though John is a psychopath. In fact, Mary is a very nice girl." Wrong.

[KLPNO]

Yes, that's what it means.
There are other problems with the passage.
"their view of women" is not a "word".
The sentence about men is misplaced. It does not explain the preceding sentence about women. The fact that men were punished heavily has no bearing on whether women were abused. A sentence beginning with "In fact, ..." should modify the previous sentence:
"It's not as though John is a psychopath. In fact, he can be quite caring." Good.
* "It's not as though John is a psychopath. In fact, Mary is a very nice girl." Wrong.

Thank you, Raymott.