Crazily enough, these verses mean exactly the opposite of what you and I have been lead to think.
Three Keys to 1 Timothy
What if we've been trying to unlock 1 Timothy from a modern, western, Age of Enlightenment perspective when the letter itself is based upon the logic, letter-writing customs, and Greek idiosyncrasies of the ancient near east?
1 Timothy 2:11-12
The part people often miss is that Paul wanted women in the classroom, learning scripture, theology, Greek and Hebrew, reading and writing, and presumably teaching and evangelizing, right alongside the men.