The Scriptures were written in a male dominated culture. The role of women was relegated to the position of "help mate" or servant. When women were able to achieve positions of power it was because they were born into the royal family or married well. What the Bible and history do not communicate to us is the effect of women on all of society through their love and guidance as mothers. Politics or a "glass ceiling" can never stop the overwhelming power of a mother's love. Remember it was the Lord's mother who encouraged him to perform his first miracle.