Ok here is my longer response.
As Christians we believe that the word of god is infallible, as a result of this we need to listen to what the bible says. The bible does need to be read in its context, however, and this is the case for the old testament as well as the new testament. Context does not allow us to write off things in the bible, however, and we must be careful to read what the bible says, as opposed to what we want it to say.
Here are a few passages on the role of Women in the Church, I apologise if they are a bit long - I think it will be helpful for my explanation.
Ephesians 5:22-33
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it. Just as Christ does the church - 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
1 Peter 3
1 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
1 Cor 14
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
34 Women[
f] should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.[
g]
36 Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.[
h]
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
Titus 2
Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel
1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
1 Timothy 2
8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
11 A woman[
a] should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;[
b] she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women[
c] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
There are a few different circumstances which are probably helpful to delineate. We can't always apply how women should act in one context to how they should act in another context.
The role of Women in marriage.
It is important to note the type of submission that is asked for here, I think people often see any form of submission as an unloving, dominating kind of submission. A wife submitting to her husband, however, should not be. "24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." This here shows what the submission should look like. - It should be as we submit to Christ, the role of the husband is to love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. This is laying down your life for your wife, it isn't a dominating form of leadership - beating her into submission, but it is a loving form of leadership, giving up your life to serve her.
The role of Women in the church. I think it is fairly important to address this passage as it is often bandied around.
"34 Women[
f] should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.[
g]"
This is a particularly tricky verse to understand but I think that it makes sense if we know the context in which it was written. - I have been told by my church that at this time the Corinthian church had a problem with the women talking in church - while the sermon and other important things were happening. Possibly shouting questions across the congregation - women at this time were mostly uneducated we should remember. So is this verse saying that women should never speak in church? Well no, I don't think so, if we know the context in which it was written, as well as the context of the verse in the passage. - It is in a section on Orderly Worship - how to control the church so that people may learn in it, it just doesn't appear like it is. Also, if we look at the last verse, "Therefore, my brothers and
sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." Paul actually tells women to be eager to prophesy, and earlier on in the passage it is said that those who were prophesying were to speak up at the front of the church.
As for the role of women in teaching at the church.
11 A woman[
a] should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;[
b] she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women[
c] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
I'll be honest I'm not an expert on this verse, and I'm quite puzzled by what it says about women being saved through childbearing, could possibly be a reference to something in the old testament. It does say, however, that Paul does not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man. To me this suggests that it is not good for a woman to be teaching in church when there is a mixed sex congregation. I believe there are other new testament verses to support this but I am not entirely sure. I do know that almost, if not all accounts of teachers in the church are men, however, and to me this suggests that it should be men that are teaching in mixed congregations and in the highest places of authority in the church. This doesn't mean that women should not be teachers or pastors at all, however, and there are many opportunities for women to teach and pastor - these opportunities, will, however, be for pastoring and teaching women in the church. This is the general view of my church and the bible seems to support it.
The role of Women in society.
I think the role of women in society is a bit different. I don't have a heap of bible quotes to help but I think these few help.
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 - This is referring to wives.
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4
9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
The character that god views as valuable in a woman seems to be things like peacefulness, modesty, good deeds and a gentle and quiet spirit (I don't think this necessarily means vocally quiet). Mostly the things that God tells all Christians to be. There are probably more verses out there and if anyone has them it would be great.
Overall
Essentially what the bible says is that Men and Women are equal, but different. Don't let anyone say that women are worth less than men, or are less important, this is simply not what the bible teaches. We do, however, have different roles in life.
7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. - 1 Pet 3 -
This verse here tells us that we are both heirs to the gracious gift of life. - This is talking about eternal life here. Also the word partner there might be better translated (and is in several other common bible versions, I had a look) as the word vessel. - Weaker in body but in no way less valuable or of less importance. My pastor used an analogy of something similar to a husband being a schooner glass and a girl being a fine wine glass.
It is kind of interesting the reason given for this as well 'so that nothing will hinder your prayers'.
Given that we are both heirs in the gift of eternal life, we are equal in importance.
I believe the rest of the bible supports this.
I think these verses also give us a decent hint as to what to look for in a marriage partner, the wife should look for someone who will lay down their life for them and who they can submit to while the husband should be looking for someone who will submit to him, allow him to teach the word and lead.
Hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask them.
God bless
Stuey