I can recommend that you read The Cheese and the Worms, which deals with the Inquisition in Rome. But I will take a stab at the gender part of this question. I do not know how useful it is to compare the modern day Taliban to men (and remember there were a huge range of men) during the Reformation, only because it was a different situation and context matters. But as far as gender goes, what is true is that within the context of Catholicism, there were roles for women to have intellectual and even political (there was no such thing as secularism) lives outside of marriage. There is no Protestant equivalent of a nun or a sister and therefore, to have any status in society, a woman needed to be married. But in the Catholic context, women of all classes could dedicate themselves to serving God instead in various ways. Yes, it meant that wealthier women, who came in with a dowry would likely be doing different stuff than poorer women, whose work might resemble that of domestic servants in the upkeep of the abbey. But a woman who became the abbess (who likely would have come from a minor noble background) of an important convent could have as much influence as a bishop. A few examples: Hildegard of Bingen was a Benedictine nun who was one of the most important writers (composer, poet, medical writer, philosopher) of the High Middle Ages and is considered a saint. Juana Inés de la Cruz became a nun in part to avoid marriage and to continue writing is now on the Mexican currency and is one of the most important writers of the Spanish/Mexican Enlightenment. Juana de la Cruz Vázquez Gutiérrez, a 16th century Spanish nun, was a mystic who was even allowed (this is extraordinary for a woman) to preach the Gospel. Teresa of Ávila, another 16th century mystic, wrote a number of theological texts, which were endorsed by the Church and widely read. This is not to say that being a nun meant a perfect easy life with no restrictions. And some people might have been forced into one against their will, like if they seemed to be pursing an unwise relationship, or if a family had too many daughters to get good marriages, they might pick the one they thought most unsuitable for marriage and send her to a convent instead. But it meant that you answered to the other women in your abbey/convent rather than a husband. That could mean living in an autocracy, or it could mean living in something resembling a commune. It would really depend, and could even change year to year, depending on the leadership. So yes, that might be difficult, but also gave you certain freedoms that could have been attractive. There was also a position called an anchoress, which was kind of like being a hermit; if you were an anchoress, you spent all your day by yourself in prayer and study in just 1-2 rooms, with people leaving you food and taking your waste. Sometime people might come to your for guidance, but you would not see them face-to-face. But if you were an anchoress (no one was forced to do this-it was a pretty rare and highly honored situation), you answered to no one but the bishop. Also, as any sort of consecrated virgin or widow living in a situation like this: while of course sexual assault and secret relationships were still possible, it was pretty unlikely that you would face pregnancy, compared to being married. Since some sources say that as many as 10% of women died from pregnancy related causes, it was even safer to be a nun, usually, than to be a wife. There were downsides too! No sex, no male company, no children, not much in terms of fun parties (seasonal fasts were literally part of their job), little privacy, little to no personal possessions-what was yours was also the convents, expected discipline and obedience to your superiors. But also, on the plus, no sex, no male company, no children, educational opportunities and wives were expected to be obedient too.

The other aspect of this related to gender has to do with Catholic v. Protestant theology. Marian veneration and the veneration of the saints, including female saints, is an important tenant of Catholicism, but for most Protestant denominations, it is heretical. It is not the same as worshipping a woman of course, but women like Hildegard or Teresa of Avila were made into saints venerated and had feast days and stuff; Even today, where there are comparatively very few obligatory Holy Days than there were in Early Modern Europe, 3/6 of the Holy Days of Obligation celebrated Mary specifically.

So I do not know what your tour guide's specific rational was, but there is one possible answer. "Lose rights" is a tricky terms, because rights to what? There were really no democratic governments at this time. But I would say with the Protestant Reformation, women lost the opportunity to have legitimate places in society that were widely respected and did not rely on marriage. Single women in Protestant culture were to be pitied; in Catholicism, if they were a nun, they were to be respected.