Sources that allow "important women" to be taught/learn Torah?

Question

The Shulchan Aruch (YD 246) codifies the law that women should not be taught the Oral Law. It seems it is also not the best thing to teach even the Written Law, but that if you do, it's not the same problem as teaching the Oral Law.

Regardless, while modern poskim like the Chofeitz Chayim, R. Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, and others have permitted teaching Torah to women based on various reasons, I recently heard the theory that the original "prohibition" against women learning/being taught Torah never applied to an Ishah Chashuvah. Following this logic, just about all women nowadays are considered to be Nashim Chashuvos (consider: the requirement for leaning at the Pesach Seder applies equally to women due to this fact) and thus all women can learn/be taught Torah without any concern for violating this original law in the Shulchan Aruch.

Trouble is, I have not been able to find any sources that discuss this particular idea. (I know of the commentary of the Perishah to the Tur where he picks up on the language of Rambam explaining that the prohibition applies only to "most women" and not women that choose to learn on their own, but that is not quite what I am referring to here. It's not nearly enough.)

Any help?

Answer 1

Rabbenu Manoach (Hilkhos Chametz U-Matzah 7:8) offers other definitions of ishah chashuvah. One is an unmarried woman. Another is a righteous, God-fearing woman. A third is part of an explanation of why a regular woman is exempt from leaning: Women are busy preparing and serving the food. Therefore, he explains, the rabbis exempted women from leaning just like the Torah exempted them from positive, time-bound commandments. A woman with servants, however, is an ishah chashuvah and is obligated to lean. One group of Medieval authorities — Tosafos, as quoted by the Mordekhai and Rabbenu Yerucham (see Beis Yosef, Orach Chaim 472) — state that all women of their time (14th century France) reach the status of ishah chashuvah and must lean. I hope to explain next week why this is not the common practice. This raises a question of how Tosafos define ishah chashuvah. One is hard pressed to believe that most women in 14th century France were totally independent or free from housework. I heard in the name of R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik (second-hand, so take it for what it’s worth) that Tosafos define ishah chashuvah as someone who has a significant role in making the family’s decisions.

OC 472

אשה אינה צריכה הסיבה אלא אם כן היא חשובה: הגה וכל הנשים שלנו מיקרי חשובות (מרדכי ריש פרק ע"פ ורבינו ירוחם) אך לא נהגו להסב כי סמכו על ראבי"ה דכתב דבזמן הזה אין להסב (ד"ע):

A woman does not recline unless she is important. (All of our women are called important, but they do not have the custom to recline because we rely on the words of the Ribah who wrote that at that time they do not recline.)