Only the males (men, boys, and infants) were to be circumcised (Genesis 17:11). Women were not circumcised. In a patriarchal society, the males made the decisions for the families and therefore their dedication was the determining factor of the direction their families would take. Male members represented the whole household.1
2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”