Looking through the history, both scriptural and practical, one would see that while Buddhism stresses the non-importance of sex for spiritual attainment and the negative consequences of strongly identifying oneself as 'male' or 'female,' it has still been forced to deal with both biological differences and the cultural settings of its time. In the Buddha's day women were revered as mothers, but not much else, and even today there are many cultural norms that place women below men, both in the spiritual life and in mundane matters. So the Buddha, in his quest to spread his teachings to all classes and genders of people needed to create a groundwork in which men and women could co-exist while fostering a spiritually supportive atmosphere.
In many early texts it is said that the Buddha not only taught to women, but at times went out of his way to do so. He realized that women, too, were capable of the same spiritual transformation offered by the dharma. In beginning to ordain nuns the Buddha laid out specific rules pertaining to women to guard against even the suspicion of sexual relations within Buddhist communities. The Buddha recognized that the intermingling of sexes was quite likely to be difficult for those without proper mindfulness due to simple biological urges in both sexes. Many texts from the time paint woman as temptresses, 'the stain of the holy life', to be avoided if possible, and if a monk were to mix with them it was not to be alone, and not to be for prolonged periods. These texts can be seen as simply warnings to counteract novices' and potentially impulsive monks' latent urges toward women, and are not to be seen as misogynous.
Later texts have added to the perceived limitations of being a woman, such as being unable to rule compassionately over a huge realm; but even these can be seen as consequences of cultural influence on Buddhism, and not adhering to known teachings of the Buddha. Certain texts even argue that while a woman may become an Arhat, full enlightenment (that of the Buddha) could only be accomplished by a male. But these can be countered by knowing that enlightenment is neither male nor female. It, just like karma, is beyond the confines of the human body.
The most important, and continuing theme in Buddhist texts has been that sex is not ultimate. It is not 'what you are' and should not be viewed as a hindrance or a help on the spiritual path. However, the attachment to one's gender, or the indulgence in the physical pleasures available to both is certainly a hindrance. Both sexes, when ordained, take vows of celibacy, recognizing that sex, just like attachment to people or material possessions is detrimental to spiritual development. While much of Buddhism has been shaped by social circumstances (which have generally been unfavorable to women), in spiritual terms the genders have always had equal access to enlightenment.
From the "Buddhism is..." page (7 May, 2005):
Sixth, we have the concept of gender equality. This is probably the most difficult one to actually argue, as it seems that little in the world is 'truly' gender equal. Historically, there have been some cases where Buddhism has been greatly progressive (establishing an order of women renunciates in the 5th century BCE), but never can we see real argument for the 'equality' of women on a grand scale. There are stories of enlightened women (the Therigatha) in the Pali Canon. In later Buddhism, the concept of nonduality became prominent. We have stories of great siddhas (accomplished ones) who were women (though only three or four out of the well-known eighty-four mahasiddhas). Within nonduality, one can ask, "is your mind male or female?" in part as a real question, but also in part to get the practitioner to stop clinging to ways of identifying him or herself. (Big caveat: such questions are fairly advanced, and should be approached only by those who have strong confidence and 'self'-understanding. It is also important to have a skilled teacher to guide you through the ensuing philosophical/existential dilemmas.).
There are also major issues facing Buddhism as it moves into the West, from cultures were male dominance is not much questioned (perhaps an over generalization as Buddhism is coming from several nations, each with its own character), to the liberal democracy of the West where feminism has been strong for half a century. For a highly personal assessment of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, see this article by an American woman who spent over twenty years in Tibetan Buddhism. If there is one thing I do know well about Buddhism, it is that it changes (sometimes dramatically) as it enters new cultures, so I am certain that we will see the feminist mentality of America play a strong part in the evolution of American Buddhism.
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