People who interepreted Paul's sayings in order to disadvantage women are more correctly your boogeymen. The Grecco-Roman cultural stamp was on everything. Judaism gave womankind a legal standing and a degree of autonomy that was not known in most of the ancient world. Under law, women were pretty much property. And too, slavery was a perfectly acceptable way of life, to the owners anyhow.

Paul stated that he would become all things to all people that they might know the liberatoion affordable in Christ. In other words, cultural barriers were not the issue. If they became the issue in a geographical area then the prevailing culture will out as long as the teachings of Christ were allowed to take root. Paul submitted to imprisonment as long as he could continue to preach.

And Christian submission is quite different than just being submissive. The exhortation includes submitting one to another (eliminated pride and self will) in humility.

You stopped short in Ep. 5. Verse 25 goes on to say, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it."

When two people are in love with that type of commitment then such submission elevates the both of them as role models for Christian behavior, the husband ready to lay down his own life for the life of his bride. If I were a lady, I think I'd like that in a husband.

Elsewhere Paul tells slaves that they are free in Christ but to use that freedom to render honorable service to their masters that the masters may be converted and saved. He tells the masters to be benevolent toward his slaves and treat them as family members as in Christ's eyes, that's what they are.

I believe that Paul was highly aware of the transforming nature of the message he bore and he had faith that ultimately justice would come from the loving kindness of a people who dedicated their lives to Christ and His priciples.