The ministry of women is vitally important, and yes, well beyond marriage. But her primary duty is still to be a (strong) helper and that duty was assigned before she was even created.

I’ll be looking for that book, it sounds like a great read!

Throughout history the church has always zeroed in on “ezer” as the pre-Fall piece of Eve that defines a woman’s role and remained intact despite her sin. God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a helper [ezer] suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). The meaning of ezer, however, was diminished when translators rendered it “helpmeet” and restricted it to marriage. A woman’s mission centered on home and family — vital spheres of ministry to be sure, but only a slice of the vast mission God originally cast by calling women [and men] to rule and subdue the earth.

Thinking regarding to the ezer began to change when scholars pointed out that the word ezer is used most often (sixteen of twenty-one occurrences) in the Old Testament to refer to God as Israel’s helper in times of trouble. That’s when ezer was upgraded to “strong helper,” leaving Christians debating among themselves over the meaning of “strong” and whether this affects a woman’s rank with respect to the man. Further research indicates ezer is a powerful Hebrew military word whose significance we have barely begun to unpack. The ezer is a warrior, and this has far-reaching implications for women, not only in marriage but in every relationship, season, and walk of life.
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Further evidence of the strength and significance of the word ezer appeared when men in the Old Testament used ezer in naming their sons. Moses named his son Eli-ezer (the same name as Abraham’s servant), explaining, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh” (Exodus 18:4; see Genesis 15:2). … Abi-ezer (my father is help) was among David’s mighty warriors (1 Chronicles 11:28). There is wonderful irony in the fact that during New Testament times, one of Jesus’ contemporaries, a man outspoken in his belief in women’s inferiority to men, was Rabbi Eli-ezer. His very name declares the strength of women. (Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?)

Eve and all her daughters are ezers — strong warriors who stand alongside their brothers in the battle for God’s kingdom. We do not have to wait until we’re grown to become ezers. The doctor who announces the birth of a girl might as well just exclaim, “It’s an ezer!” for we are ezers from birth. Marriage is one major arena where the ezer stands with the man in battle. It by no means exhausts the possibilities. If the call to rule and subdue the earth means anything, God calls the ezer to join the man in every sphere of life.