While I never made it through this series (Jang Geum was too Mary Sue for me, and the slow pace of the beginning killed me), my family LOVES this show. LOVES it. I really do agree with you regarding the effects of the show on future kdramas, giving rise to more shows about women; it was that huge a hit in Asia.

Also I'm not claiming causation here, but apparently South Korea is the only asian country so far to turn the tide against the preference for male children (for awhile they were like the other countries with more boys born than girls). I'm thinking that the rise of women centric stories in their media may at least help with the issue.