Thinking Men and Women 3:36

She dedicated in service to G-d what was in her womb. She was hoping for a male because only males were assigned to serve in the Temple with no other duties. She said: O my Lord I have given birth to a female child who is physically weaker and unsuitable for serving in the Temple. And Allah knew that Mariam's excellence would be far greater than any hopes that her mother had in wishing for a male child.

When we say men and women we’re talking about the abstract inner self. The men are those who contemplate and analyze things. The woman is one who doesn’t, but not because she’s a female. When we speak of male and female we’re talking about the physical bodies. So, a female can think like a man even though she’s physically weaker and a male can think like a woman even though he’s physically stronger. The males who contemplate and analyze and the females who contemplate and analyze let us know that females have the same capacity as men. But, because males were free to go out and engage the world and accumulate wealth, some men began to think females couldn’t. The female had to stay home and take care of our children. But given the opportunity she's proven that she’s mentally and spiritually as capable as a male.