It is totally wrong that women are not allowed to chant ChaNDi paath or devI mahAtmaya.
When goddess herself is in the feminine form, how come her worship and chant be forbidden for women?
If at all anyone has first right on these then it the woman.
In shakta literature, it is very well documented that female gurus and female upasakas enjoy a high and respected position.
Many texts resonate with the opinion that female guru is auspicious and leads the sishya in a better way.
While orthodoxy appeared to regard women as inferior to men, the
Kaulas took a different approach. Initiation from a female guru is
held in the highest esteem, as she is Shakti on earth. The female guru
is Ananda Bhairavi and the male guru Ananda Bhairava, together in
union, drinking the intoxicating wine of consciousness which is
bliss (ananda) itself. Below, we find a meditation (dhyana) and an
armour (kavacha) devoted to the Stri or female guru, ascribed to the
Brahmayamala. The armour in the first translation is made up from the
vidya (mantra) of the female guru. After this is a short hymn (stotra)
to the male guru from the Matrikabhedatantra, in which his
identification with Shiva is plain.
There is also a specific stree guru kavacham in this regard.
Of this Striguru Kavacha, the Female Guru is the devata and attaining
the four aims of mankind is the application Obeisance to Sadashiva on
the head. Obeisance to the Female Guru in the heart. Ishvara said:
Sadashiva is the rishi of this Female Guru kavacha. It is said that
this devata is the fruit-giver of the four aims.
When stree is given the position of highest guru in shaktism then there is absolutely no scope of denying or forbidding anything which is related to shastra and specifically agama (shakta/shaiva)
