The question was recently asked whether Halacha requires one to stand when an elderly woman enters the room. There is an obligation in the Torah of "Mipenei seva takum", which is to rise in the presence of a Talmid Chacham (Torah scholar), and in the presence of an elderly person. According to the Shulchan Aruch, this refers to people aged seventy and older. Does this obligation apply as well to women?
The Chida (Rabbi Chayim Yosef David Azulai, 18th-century), in his work Birke Yosef, addresses a similar issue, namely, whether one must stand in the presence of a Talmid Hacham’s wife, and he mentions the position of the Arizal (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, legendary Kabbalist, Egypt-Tzefat, 16th century) who says that no such obligation exists. The Ben Ish Chai (Rabbi Yosef Chayim of Baghdad, 19th century), however, writes that he does not know how the Chida determined this to be the Arizal’s position.
Accordingly, Chacham Ovadia Yoseph rules against the position mentioned by the Chida, and requires one to stand in the presence of a Talmid Chacham’s wife as a demonstration of respect to her husband, even after his death. Furthermore, Chacham Ovadia maintains that one must stand in the presence of a learned woman, as well as in the presence of an elderly woman, aged seventy and older. In fact, he adds that the students of a scholarly woman may not call her by her name, just as one may not call his rabbi by his name. Chacham Ovadia goes so far as to say that a scholarly woman’s students may not even call her "Giveret," the Hebrew equivalent of "Mrs.," and must instead call her "Morati" – "My teacher." Therefore, he writes, people must show honor to the knowledgeable women who give classes to other women in areas such as Taharat Ha’mishpacha (family purity), Shabbat, and Kashrut, as they accrue great reward for their educational efforts.
Thus, just as one is obligated to show honor to a Talmid Chacham, so must one show honor to a scholarly woman by standing when she enters the room and referring to her as "My teacher." Likewise, the wife of a Talmid Chacham must be afforded the same respect shown to her husband, and one must stand in the presence of an elderly woman just as one must in the presence of an elderly man.
