I have been reading about Phoebe who Paul thinks very highly of. He describes her as a Deacon and in Romans 16 says that she has been helpful to him and to many
So Paul had no problem with a woman being a Deacon and in giving credit where it was due. It seems that she had been sent to the church in Rome as a messenger for Paul .
This adds weight to the argument that his negative comments about women are in response to a particular problem in that church.
Jan from Tam