[onetimemanytime]

In practice I'd say that a lot of priests did father children. Made of flesh and blood...

[mandmandam]

And those 'bastards' were often treated horrifically for the mother's crimes. This lasted well up into the last century.

Even today children of single mothers are at a large disadvantage, but at least it's not quite as institutional and savage.

[lelanthran]

> Even today children of single mothers are at a large disadvantage,

Except that today, with few exceptions, the decision to have that child rests entirely with the mother.

With respect to family matters, females, especially in modern societies, have many more options than any other demographic of that society, or indeed, in all of history.

It's not quite comparable to how bastard children and their mothers were treated in the past.

[onetimemanytime]

Most likely their mom's husband was "daddy" and they were raised like their half-siblings, as peasants.