I know and have heard from swamy’s upanyasams that women cannot read Vedas and I do not debate it. But recently, I read some indologists say that in Vedic times women also read Vedas and were also initiated into studying the Vedas and this rule is only recently formed. They frequently quote two personalities that they claim are mentioned in Rg Veda, (I think it was Rg Veda, not too sure which one they quote) Maitreyi and Gargi, who studied Vedas and I believe Maitreyi also debated with Yagnavalkya on Vedanta. 

I got confused by this. Who are these personalties? Are they mentioned in our scriptures? Did they read the Vedas and if so, was it because of some special circumstances? I have also heard that women cannot read the Vedas means they cannot recite it but it does not mean they cannot listen from acharya and learn the  meanings. So did Maitreyi and Gargi listen from acharya without them reading/reciting it?

I apologize if anything I asked is offensive in anyway.

Namaskarams at the lotus feet of all bhagavathais and bhagavathas