The answer lies in understanding what the Torah views a woman’s essential role to be. If we can differentiate between the primary role and all the myriad secondary roles that women fill, perhaps we can answer our question. Let us see what the Vilna Gaon writes on the matter. “The power of a woman lies primarily in her ability to guard and protect. It is for this reason that, while she is not commanded in all the positive commandments, she is still commanded in all the negative commandments. This can be explained by saying that it is her job to preserve. It is also for this reason that women are not commanded to constantly study Torah as are men.”
I think the Gaon just handed us the key to answer our questions. A woman may fill many roles. She may be a prophetess and a leader like Devorah. She may be an erudite scholar – as was Beruriah, the wife of R’ Meir. She may be a housewife or a breadwinner. But those are not her primary roles. A woman’s primary job is to guard and to guide. The woman is like the “guardian of Israel” who may not “sleep nor slumber” for it is incumbent on her to protect Bnei Yisrael by molding them and guiding them along the proper path. Women have a natural intuition which allows them to sense when something is being done properly and when something is slightly off. R’ Yitzchak Hutner points out that it was Sarah, and not Avraham, who saw that Yishmael must be sent away, and it was she who took the initiative to make sure that it got done. R’ Hutner says that this is congruent with the job that Hashem gave women – to preserve Klal Yisrael’s holiness. I would even suggest that this is the reason that Jewishness is passed on maternally. In every matter of Jewish law (e.g. inheritance, tribal affiliation, etc.) we follow the father, for he is the head of the household. However, when it comes to passing on Jewishness we must follow the mother – for it is she who ensures it.
Now we can understand why the wives of Korach and On are the prototypes. Who is the “wise woman who builds her house”? This is the wife of On, who saw that her husband was doing something wrong and took action. She knew it was her job to protect and preserve the sanctity of the Jewish People. She knew that it was her responsibility to prevent the Divine Word from being challenged and took the initiative to save her husband from a path towards physical and spiritual destruction.
And who is the “foolish woman who destroys her house with her hands”? This is the wife of Korach, for the best example of a woman gone wrong is one who does not try to keep those around her on the proper path. May we all merit recognizing the roles that we are supposed to play and may we merit succeeding in those roles.