But there are a few things in the Bible that change when the New Testament comes in. Jesus is our saviour in more ways than one! Previously, a man was allowed to take more than one wife. He was also allowed to divorce her and send her away for such reasons as she could not bear children. Imagine that- not only being able to have children, but being humiliated and cast out because of it!
Luckily Jesus sorted this out:
From Matthew 19, v3-9
The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made [them] at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except [it be] for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
I've always been a little confused by things said by Paul. Admittedly it does come across sometimes that he wants women to suffer at the hands of men. But why would our loving God desire such a thing? After all, even if woman did commit the first sin, our Lord is all about forgiveness and mercy.