Daf Yomi Insights - Berachos 20

I wanted to share what the Bac"h and the Aruch HaShulchan say about women reciting Shema.
The Bac"h (סימן ע) writes that the Mishna says that women are exempt from reciting the Shema, to which the Gemara asks that that would seem to be obvious as women are generally exempt from any time bound Mitzvos, why would I think that Shema should be any different. The Gemara explains that since Shema speaks of Hashem's monarchy I might have thought that women should be obligated to say it. The Bac"h explains that it is clear to the Gemara from the start that women are obligated to read the first verse of the Shema as they are obligated to declare the unity of Hashem. The issue at hand was if they are then obligated to continue and read the rest of the three paragraphs of the Shema. The conclusion of the Gemara is that they are only obligated to read the first verse and nothing more. He mentions that the Bais Yosef also says that women are obligated to read the first verse and declare the unity of Hashem, and that is how women should be taught.
The Aruch haShulchan discusses this as well and makes two important distinctions. First off he says that a woman's obligation to declare the unity of Hashem does not have to be done by saying the verse first of Shema. This is why the Shulchan Aruch says that it is proper for a woman to read the first verse of Shema. Proper, but not an obligation. She fulfills her obligation in any way that she declares it. Secondly, for a woman there are not time strictures around when she makes this declaration and can say it any time of day.