It is quite possible that the custom started from a safety perspective, evolving out of the chaperone tradition. And yes, the safety in that case includes being saved from her own desires.
That's my belief.
The world is full of things that were determined or strongly influenced by choices made long ago, choices that have been forgotten. The "social aspect" of the custom is one thing that has kept it alive long after many people have forgotten the original reasons. But the custom still serves its purpose.
And for those women who proudly say, "I go by myself," good for you. You might be aware of something called "survivor bias". It crops up in a lot of endeavors in life. The women who got raped by some frat boy or sports team member when they went off alone to the bathroom often don't end up as fiercely independent. They tend to be more cautious, and for good reason.
It's the same reason why any young woman who has a clue won't leave their drink unattended at a party or club. They keep it in their hand or under direct observation so some male won't slip something into the drink when they aren't looking. This has good tips to follow.
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/a19932071/the-cup-that-detects-roofies/The fact that a google search shows up gobs of articles on this topic is something that should shame every man and their parents.
And since this is a rant thread...
Our culture condones a lot of sexual assault behavior by males Just read an article about a situation in a Memphis school. A boy attempted to raise a girl's skirt to expose her in public. She grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed him.
Fox headline was "Teen stabbed with scissors after pulling student's dress up at Memphis school, police say."
One person made this observation:
That's a weird way to say "Sexual assault victim uses self-defense to escape her attacker."'
The article went on to make comments about the fact that the girl made several attempts to stab the boy. If someone broke into my home at night and I shot them with my pistol, no one would bat an eye if my first 4 shots missed my attacker and the 5th one hit home. The focus would be on "Homeowner defends family from robber."
FYI, the girl has been charged. At least the boy got charged, too. 20-1 he gets a gentle slap on the hand and she gets in more trouble than he does.
If someone stole my car and was being tried for the crime, I would be unlikely to hear a lawyer say, "Well, the car owner had it coming, they shouldn't have painted their car such an attractive color." I wouldn't be likely to hear a judge say, while sentencing a guilty car thief, "Well, a tough sentence would really be bad for this thief. Sentence is 6 months in jail, with half that off for good behavior." That was male rapist Brock Turner's sentence because he's white, his parents are rich, and he's on a sports team. F that shit. And Brock's parents comment was that their son shouldn't be punished for life for a few minutes of action. If justice was served, that parent would be found floating dead in the river with their personal parts shoved in their mouth, as an example for other parents. "Pour encourager les autres" as the French put it so aptly. It wouldn't be the law, but it would be justice.