There were many different beliefs that later were defined as Gnostic simply because they were not Orthodox beliefs in the very early church.  Many of the Gnostic churches were considered equally Christian to the more Orthodox ones in the early church.  Orthodox churches have even changed over time too so if you are legalistic than anything not absolute orthodoxy is gnostic but gnostic was sometimes more Gospel adhering than orthodoxy.  This is where we see orthodoxy has a problem.  The apostles had no problems with women leading in churches and did not consider themselves separate priests from the royal priesthood of all the church.  There was no ordination until hundreds of years after the Apostles so since there were presbyters that were female along side male presbyters when presbyters were the only ones who did what priests do today in the early church, then gnostics show a greater adherence to the Gospel in choosing to ordain women the same as men than orthodoxy does.