Equality of women and men
Women as Breadwinners[edit]
In Tablet of the World Women and Men Envisaged as Breadwinners[edit]
"In the Tablet of the World, Bahá'u'lláh Himself has envisaged that women as well as men would be breadwinners in stating:
'Everyone, whether man or woman, should hand over to a trusted person a portion of what he or she earneth through trade, agriculture or other occupation, for the training and education of children, to be spent for this purpose with the knowledge of the Trustees of the House of Justice.'
See also[edit]
Same curriculum enjoined for boys and girls[edit]
"A very important element in the attainment of such equality is Bahá'u'lláh's provision that boys and girls must follow essentially the same curriculum in schools."
Emphasis on women is for encouragement, not to say that men will be completely surpassed[edit]
"It may be that letters addressed to the women believers do indeed contain certain passages written by way of encouragement, but the purpose of such passages is to show that, in this wondrous Dispensation, certain women have outshone certain men—not that all women have excelled all men! The members of the Spiritual Assembly should do all they can to give encouragement to the women. In this Dispensation one should not think in terms of “men” and “women”: all are under the shadow of the Word of God and, as they strive more diligently, so shall their reward be greater—be they men or women or the frailest of people.... As for the large number of Tablets addressed to women enjoining them to teach the Cause: since the letters arriving in the Holy Land come for the most part from women, and only rarely from men, it is natural that women should be written to more frequently than men...."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, extract from a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, at https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/additional-tablets-extracts-talks/271134634/1#043188027 )
(A more complete, though older, translation)[edit]
"As to the question of women being chosen rather than men: In this cycle there were men who arose through a divine power and who shone forth as the sun from the dawning-point of holiness; and, likewise, there appeared certain women who became side by side with men. The expression which you quote, “Every woman who is directed to the guidance of God in this great age, will surpass men in every respect,” signified that, in this age, certain women will appear who will surpass some men. It does not mean that they will surpass all the men who have given their lives as sacrifices in this Cause; for in this wonderful cycle there appeared such men as his holiness Khudoos, his holiness Bab-el-Bab, his holiness the “King of Martyrs” and his holiness the “Beloved of Martyrs,” his holiness the great Vaheed1 , and such ones who have no equals in the world of existence.
"If, in the letters to the maid-servants of the Merciful, there hath been written in the sense of encouragement (that form which such meanings can be inferred), the purport is that some women in the wonderful age have surpassed some men, and not that all women have surpassed all men. The members of the House of Spirituality must give unlimited encouragement to women. In this age, both men and women are in the shadow of the Word of God. Whosoever endeavors the most will attain the greatest share, be it of men or of women, of the strong or of the weak.
"As to the matter of teaching and the choosing of men, the letters which I have written to the Spiritual Meeting (House of Spirituality) of which you are a member, will answer this question and will manifest the station of men who remain firm in the Covenant of God. Refer to them.
"As to the number of Tablets to women, this is due to the fact that most of the letters which come to the Holy Land are from women. Rarely do letters come from men and, naturally, to women the most are written. Men are enjoined more than women to give the Message of the Cause of God and to diffuse His fragrances.
"My dear friend! If thou didst know how dear thou art to Abdul-Baha, thou wouldst spread wings, and through excess of joy, soar and begin teaching all that country."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 335-337)
Suffragettes are fighting for what must be; one might not approve of more militant but will adjust itself; if given same advantages and education, the result will be the same (and women even superior in certain regards)[edit]
"What is your attitude toward woman suffrage?" asked one of the reporters.
"The modern suffragette is fighting for what must be, and many of these are willing martyrs to imprisonment for their cause. One might not approve of the ways of some of the more militant suffragettes, but in the end it will adjust itself. If women were given the same advantages as men, their capacity being the same, the result would be the same. In fact, women have a superior disposition to men; they are more receptive, more sensitive, and their intuition is more intense. The only reason of their present backwardness in some directions is because they have not had the same educational advantages as men.
"All children should be educated, but if parents cannot educate both the boys and the girls, then it would be better to educate the girls, for they will be the mothers of the coming generation. This is a radical idea for the East, where I come from, but it is already taking effect there, for the Bahai women of Persia are being educated along with the men.
"We have only to look about us in nature," Abdul-Baha continued, "to see the truth of this. Is it not a fact that the females of many species of animals are stronger and more powerful than the male? The chief cause of the mental and physical inequalities of the sexes is due to custom and training, which for ages past have molded woman into the ideal of the weaker vessel.
"The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the scales are already shifting—force is losing its weight and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendency. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine, and more permeated with the feminine ideals—or, to speak more exactly, will be an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more properly balanced."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. 3, issue 3, p. 4)
Educational equality for men and women to destroy foundations of war[edit]
"When all mankind shall receive the same opportunity of education and the equality of men and women be realized, the foundations of war will be utterly destroyed."
Need for women to demonstrate equality (as well as men recognizing it)[edit]
"But while this principle of equality is true, it is likewise true that woman must prove her capacity and aptitude, must show forth the evidences of equality. She must become proficient in the arts and sciences and prove by her accomplishments that her abilities and powers have merely been latent."
"Woman must endeavour then to attain greater perfection, to be man's equal in every respect, to make progress in all in which she has been backward, so that man will be compelled to acknowledge her equality of capacity and attainment."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 162)
Need for women to advance in science, literature, and history[edit]
"Women must go on advancing; they must extend their knowledge of science, literature, history, for the perfection of humanity. Erelong they will receive their rights."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá quoted in Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, pp. 148-149)
In America and Europe, it was only in the right to vote that women were held back[edit]
"Turning towards the ladies He said with a smile:"
"I have said in America and Europe that there is only the question of votes in which women have been held back and claim equality with men. In California they even have this right. In all other respects it is men who must demand equality of rights. How many men in Europe and America work from morning until evening and whatever they save is spent on adornments and jewelry and colorful clothes and the latest fashions for their wives who spend their time in pleasure and enjoyment? In reality, these poor men are servants of their wives."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Mahmúd's Diary, Friday, November 1, 1912, p. 365)
See also[edit]
To-dos for this page[edit]
- Add more representative quotations, e.g., for duties of men to avoid the need for women to need to fight for equality
