People can be very selective. A posek says something they like so they parrot what he says and follow his ruling to their heart's delight. But when the same posek says something with which they don't agree then he becomes irrelevant. I see this as a bit dishonest.
Rav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, the author of the Sridei Aish, became most famous in the general society for his psak allowing girls to sing zmiros together with boys FOR THE SAKE OF KIRUV so that we don't lose these girls forever ['ח"ב סי' ח, if I remember correctly]. This is now used as a general heter for women to sing in front of, or together with, men. I recently heard a woman [Rebbetzin] remarking wryly that in her youth, girls or women signing in front of men was not even an issue. It was just done. From her tone, she implied that today the world has become extreme and some people even forbid kol isha!!
Terrible, I say!! Shameful!!:-) Following an open gemara and what might even have the status of a biblical prohibition! How can we permit this??! The fact that Rav Weinberg only permitted this to save Jewish souls is lost on people. I heard of Rabbonim from Bnei Brak permitting setting up DISCOS for Jewish boys and girl in South America [where the intermarriage rate is astonishingly high] so that Jewish boys and girls meet and pair up. Somehow, offering shiurim in Nesivos Shalom or Hilchos Amirah Li-akum Bi-shabbos just doesn't attract the same numbers....
Anyway, this same Rabbi Weinberg [ח"ב סי' נ"ב] had this to say about electing women to public office [which is an interesting topic that I might or might not address at a future time. I am not expressing my opinion - just quoting].
Incidentally - in the highly Charedi populated Beit Shemesh, they just elected a female [religious] mayor who unseated the male Charedi mayor.
