Many proverbs have been preserved in the Russian language for a long time and today they are not used in direct meaning at all. Because of this, some contemporaries interpret stable expressions in a negative way for no reason at all! Just think of the meaning “Baba with a cart - the mare is easier!” and understand everything. Indeed, in the framework of the culture and ethical standards of the 21st century, this is complete disrespect and an attempt to designate someone's worthlessness, even harmfulness. Or not?
Classic interpretation
If you look at the history of the Russian village, look at its life, then the slightest suspicion of insulting subtext will disappear by itself. After all, a woman was usually called not some random woman. She was any peasant, and most often married. This rarely traveled without her spouse, in a proverb, most likely, we are talking specifically about traveling couples on horse-drawn vehicles. Moreover, the man most often walked, next to the horse, and for his wife left a place near the luggage.
They called the usual cart, which the horse was dragging on itself through a broken road, deep puddles with viscous mud and even uphill. She just had no choice. In the direct sense of the proverb "Baba with a cart - the mare is easier!" captures household wisdom. That is, if you do not want to ditch your main nurse on a steep slope, which helps to deliver goods and plow the fields, then it is better to unload it as much as possible. At least temporarily land passengers and overcome a difficult area.
The advent of figurative value
Philologists refer to Michelson’s dictionary, which cites the closest analogue of the proverb: “Kuma Pesh - Kuma is easier.” The meaning of this expression implies that the woman was angry at the inconvenience of the trip and got off the cart herself, to which the man answered her with the phrase in question. If the conflict element for some time falls out of society, then it becomes a little easier for others to bear the hardships of a long journey. And their joy, so as not to offend the departed, they broadcast through the image of a mare.
Consumption in the 21st Century
Today, a considerable part of the population is the townspeople, so the emphasis in interpretation has shifted somewhat. It’s quite difficult to notice the team in the urban environment, but in the secondary meaning “A woman with a cart is easier for a mare!” used quite often. This is what they say when someone voluntarily leaves the team or when they refuse to work. The expression can be used in a negative sense if the speaker is counting on support. However, it is also permissible in a similar way to express relief.