Paul, strangely enough has become one of my hero’s of faith. Some exploration into the culture of the port town of Corinth, with its 1000’s of temple prostitutes, and Ephesus in the time of Timothy’s ministry, show quickly the problems Paul was wrangling with. The women were uneducated and often cloistered in the Greek model, and developed worship involving drunken and ecstatic state in their worship of Artimus. They were expounding even to the Diaspora Jewish community that women/Eve were in the position of origin and source of wisdom from the serpent. Paul states unequivocally that Adam is the kephale source (not BOSS) of Eve. He was re-establishing creation order, not saying who was boss. These were the women coming into the church, illiterate, separated and a tune to frenzied worship.

But Paul had no problem with Pricilla speaking; the educated Jewess from Rome who had a church in her home and who, with her husband, taught Apollos. Paul had no problem with Phoebe, who in the Greek is not called a “servant” but “deacon” of the Church of Cenchrea; the same word used for Timothy. She is historically the courier of the letter to the Romans, and the church at Rome is asked to receive her and assist her in “what ever business she has need of”. Paul has no problem with Junia, his relative, fellow prisoner and noted among (not “by” but “among” – a different word) the apostles. I find her, and Andronicus interesting, as Paul notes that they were “ in Christ before me”. I wonder if they knew the young Saul to be sincere, though sincerely wrong and decided to pray for that head strong boy. In his letter to the Corinthian he teaches all to prophesy, though women were to be identified as non prostitutes by a family or protective head covering. When you take a few verses out of context it can be distorted quickly as Tertullian did in the 3rd century.

Besides, Just a thought, what's the difference in teaching one or twenty. What's the difference in teaching a boy who will become a man, or a man.

There is a tremendous amount of excellent scholarship out there. I’m posting a few sites and an article that I have found are significant.
Also, two good books, Richard and Catherine Kroeger’s book, I suffer not a woman explores the 1st century Greek culture of Ephesus.

Aida Besancon Spencer’s, professor of Biblical Studies at Gordan-Conwell wrote Beyond the Curse, She did a Genesis to maps exploration of Women in Scripture for the Evangelical Theological Society ( rather conservative think tank of professors of Seminaries), with a hefty focus on Genesis.

http://www.cbeinternational.org/new/free_articles/free_articles.shtml

http://www.cbeinternational.org/new/pdf_files/free_articles/groothius_bible_genderequailty.pdf