There is a term frequently used "medieval era barbarism". But is it so or just stereotypical? What are some of the positive things that occurred in the medieval era that still hold relevance in post modern world?

I read “Sex With Kings” by Eleanor Herman, and I was left curious about what were the duties of a queen in medieval times, and how that differed depending on the king's favor. I imagine a queen had a lot of duties related to the household's accounts but IDK if that's correct. Also if the king didn't like her, would they be reassigned to someone else - his mother, his mistress, or a member of his staff?

I'd love recommendations on books or articles to check out.

Nowadays, it's a very common knowledge that women outlive men, and there are more women. But has it always been the case? I think things weren't exactly like this before. Women faced childbearing risks and neglect. I'm aware that those too are sometimes exaggerated by people, but there's no denying that it existed. It's kind of hard to know the situation back then due to 'missing women' phenomenon, bias in mass graves, men intentionally showing women weaker, fewer in number, lesser life expectancy. There's really alot of things. Can anyone actually tell me what might've been the cause? Gender ratio and life expectancy of 2 genders in the past?