Yes. The proverbs were written by old men for the edification of young men. The proverbial view of women is split. Part of the time women are seen as a snare: “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread, but the wife of another stalks a man’s very life.” (NRSV, Proverbs 6:25–26) And: “It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a contentious wife.” (NRSV, Proverbs 21:9)

The rest of the time, women are lauded for their wifely virtues: “Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.” (NLT, Proverbs 31:10–11) And: “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure and receives favor from the LORD.” (NLT, Proverbs 18:22)

The female gender has another role in Proverbs as well. Wisdom is personified as a woman: “Happy is the person who finds wisdom and gains understanding. For the profit of wisdom is better than silver, and her wages are better than gold.” (NLT, Proverbs 3:13–14) Another proverb reads, “Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: ‘To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it.’” (NLT, Proverbs 8:1–5)