Level with the first woman (3)
I believe the answer is:
eve
'first woman' is the definition.
(first woman in the bible)
'level with' is the wordplay.
'with' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'EVE' is hidden within 'level'.
'the' is the link.
(Other definitions for eve that I've seen before include "'All About - - ' (Bette Davis film)" , "Mother of Abel" , "Day before; girl's name" , "Threshold" , "Girl" .)