Liked better purses? Oddly, female made a mistake (9)
I believe the answer is:
preferred
'liked better' is the definition.
('prefer' can be a synonym of 'like better')
'purses? oddly female made a mistake' is the wordplay.
'oddly' indicates alternate letters (letters in the odd-numbered positions are used).
'female' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'made a mistake' becomes 'erred' ('err' can be a synonym of 'make a mistake').
The alternate letters of 'purses' are 'pre'.
'pre'+'f'+'erred'='PREFERRED'
(Other definitions for preferred that I've seen before include "Was partial to" , "singled out" , "Chose before others" , "choice" , "Liked better" .)