It was first century Judea and Galilee. Women were not permitted to leave the house without a male escort; they were not allowed to sit in the main area of the synagogues; they were not allowed on the Temple grounds; they were not allowed to speak openly with a man who was not a relative; and if a male visitor showed up at the house, they were required to leave the room until he was gone.
That poses some serious challenges to any woman who might want to travel around the countryside sleeping in ditches, bathing in rivers, and living in close quarters with a group of men. It would have been unthinkable at the time, and deeply offensive to their culture.
The early Church flaunted custom, allowing women to teach and attend services with the men, and that created massive backlash. The idea of men and women worshipping together was so scandalous to the Romans that Christians were accused of engaging in cannibalism, incest, and orgies during their services, and even as late as the fourth century, the Emperor Licenius forced all Christians to worship in open fields where the soldiers could keep the men and women separated.
