It is said that it was Cyrus the Great who regulated some sort of dress code for women, possibly a form of veil in order to protect their chastity, and that's how this custom is spread through the Middle East 1200 years before Islam. This in fact was not to slow down women's presence in the social circles, but to actually increase the willingness of women, who were afraid of being mistreated. Form what's left of the evidence in Persepolis, women were paid in many different jobs and positions, even in high ranks of military and states, according to their profession and talent rather than their gender. Also there's been regulations for pregnancy leaves for women and extra care and pay for those with children. In general it seems that veil has been required for respectable women, but not those in prostitution business.

Definitely treatment of women by Arabs prior to Islam has been even more degrading than after Islam, as they were burying their infant girls, throwing old women out of their houses, etc., so after Islam things has gotten somehow better for them, but still a Muslim woman is treated as a half a Muslim man.

For what's worth, we don't have any special pronoun for male or female, and if you speak about the third person, there's no way you can find out the gender, as Persian is a genderless language, much like the way the old Persians were treating each other.

Cyrus the great is also well-known for his tolerance of different religions, his charter of human rights and resettlement of exiled Hebrews back to rebuild Jerusalem after concurring those lands.