In an ancient first, second, and third century Roman world men outnumbered women... except in the Christian church where women greatly outnumbered men.
This occurred in part because Christians did not "discard" female infants and Christian women did not have a substantial mortality rate from abortions done in a world without antibiotics or even a practical working knowledge of germs.
Also, it occurred because despite the persecution levied against Christians women were more likely than men to convert to Christianity.
There are various reasons for this with one being that the Christian worldview imparted higher value to women which contrasted with the status of the average woman of non-noble birth under ancient Roman paganism (nobility; however, was an entirely different matter). You see, ancient Greco-Roman paganism taught that the gods had played a trick on man by creating woman of inferior material, etc... See:
http://ncbible.org/resources/fword01.pdf
Without getting too wordy, it was in the assemblies which were primarily composed of women that false doctrines, myths, and other speculative ideas (in addition to gossip) were entering (1 Tim 1:3-4). Upon reading 1 Timothy, for example, one becomes immediately aware that the integrity of the Christian faith is at stake in
some (not all or most) of these assemblies. Paul's concern in response is to maintain and guard the truth of the Christian faith (1 Tim 1:19; 2:4–7; 3:14–16; 4:1–3, 6–7, 16;6:1–5, 12).
Some of these women had wandered into vain debates and were attempting to act as teachers without understanding and discernment (1 Tim 1:6–7). There is throughout a concern for maintaining and guarding the truth of the faith (1 Tim 1:19; 2:4–7; 3:14–16; 4:1–3, 6–7, 16;6:1–5, 12).
We do not know the identity of the false teachers or the full content of their teaching. From the instructions given, we can conclude that the false teaching led to a disregard for proper decorum and practices in the church (1 Tim 2:8–15) as well as to a rejection of the institution of marriage (1 Tim 4:3).
In light of this last aspect of the heretical teaching, it is noteworthy that particular attention is directed to young widows (in 1 Tim 5:9–15), who are urged to marry, have children and manage their homes (1 Tim 5:14). When these normal, socially prescribed roles and functions are neglected or rejected, these women are prone to "gossiping" and being "busybodies, saying things they ought not to" (1 Tim 5:13).
On the basis of this data, at least two reconstructions of the situation in Timothy’s congregation at Ephesus are possible: (1) the women in the church at Ephesus were the primary advocates and promoters of the heretical teachings which were upsetting accepted patterns of congregational and home life; (2) the women in the church had been particularly influenced by the heretical teachers. Such a situation in the Ephesian church is addressed in 2 Timothy 3:6–9, where women, the special targets of those "who oppose the truth" (2 Tim 3:8), become "unable to acknowledge the truth" (2 Tim 3:7).
In either case, Paul’s restrictive word in 1 Timothy 2:11–12 must be understood within a context where false teaching is at issue. The general prohibition against all those who "teach false doctrines" (1 Tim 1:3) is now focused specifically on the women who have fallen prey to such false teaching or who are involved in its promulgation.
This does not extrapolate to women being barred from correctly and properly teaching God's Word or holding ministry positions in a godly manner within the context the entire NT provides.
