Women were perceived as property owned by their authoritarian husbands and treated poorly. Judges and priests who realized the potential revolt that may result from this suppression, devised a satanic conspiracy theory to punish those females who might step out of line. As the sociologist Richard Horsely observed, accusations of witchcraft were "a highly effective means of social control."

The  Trials resulted in an atmosphere of fear which was a very effective way of "keeping women in their place." In areas where witch-hunts regularly occurred, women knew that they could not asserted themselves in any way which may offended the sensibilities of male authorities, religious or secular. If they did so, they could be falsely accused of being in league with Lucifer and tortured until they admitted it. If a woman's friend or relative was accused of witchcraft, and she dared to stand up for them in court, she would run the risk of being accused as a fellow witch and tortured until she confessed that both she and her loved one were guilty.

"The Burning Times" had nothing to do with the persecution of Pagans by Christians. Rather, it was an extreme example of the persecution of women within a patriarchal society. Feminists, and anyone who believes in justice and equality for all, should be outraged by the Great Witch Hunt, just as they are outraged about all other instances of institutionalized oppression of one group of people by another. Remembering those women who were tortured and killed for "stepping out of line" during the 300 years of Witch trials can serve as an inspiration for us. We are encouraged to continue fighting for the equality of women in societies around the world.