[squarebarb]

Important to remember Tolkien was English and all of the women were royal. They were of the aristocracy. Except Bilbo's mother. So they had certain roles to play as aristocrats. Eowyn takes on the duties of an aristocratic male, that of a squire, really, as in a young warrior that has been knighted. Arwen oerforms the duties of the princess of a small kingdom. The rules Eowen breaks are those expected of a royal princess.

[Restorer]

They were of the aristocracy. Except Bilbo's mother.

Well, she was as close as the hobbits got to aristocracy. One of the themes of the book that I don't think come across easily to most Americans is that Sam was a servant and the other three hobbits were upper class. So the eventual disappearance of the social distance between them was his way of pointing out the essential irrelevance of such distinctions. Since few Americans pay much attention to such distinctions in the first place, I don't think we get this.